GIFT  OF 


>  BACON 

RY 


•  Ra&S 
i 


/    •  If 


ff 


'^ 


THE    LIFE 


OF 


CHARLES  HODGE  D.D.  LLD. 


PROFESSOR   IN   THE   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY 
PRINCETON  N.  J. 


BY  HIS  SON 

A.  A.  HODGE 


NEW  YORK 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 

743-745  BROADWAY 


COPYRIGHT  1880 
BT  CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS. 


GRANT,  FAIEES  &  EODGERS, 
ELBCTBOTYPBKS  AND  PRINTERS, 

PHILADELPHIA. 


PREFACE. 


THE  family  of  the  late  Dr.  Charles  Hodge  have  been  assured, 
by  those  in  whose  judgment  they  have  the  most  reason  to  con- 
fide, that  a  memoir  of  his  life  should  be  prepared.  This  was  ren- 
dered probable  by  the  fact  that,  although  his  life  had  been  a  quiet 
one,  varied  by  few  external  events  of  general  interest,  yet  it  had 
been  one  of  very  remarkable  literary  activity,  and  of  protracted 
and  extended  influence,  involving  an  intimate  association  with 
many  of  the  most  interesting  characters  and  events  of  the  cen- 
tury J  The  totality  of  the  phenomenon,  including  personality  and 
achievement,  was  unquestionably  very  remarkable.  It  matters  not 
whether  the  effect  is  to  be  attributed  in  the  largest  measure  to 
natural,  gracious,  or  providential  endowments,  the  study  of  the 
causes  combining  to  produce  such  an  effect  must  be  instructive. 
Behind  every  cause,  whatever  its  nature,  is  the  beneficent  effi- 
ciency of  God,  and  to  him  will  be  all  the  praise. 

The  subscriber  undertook  the  work  because  he  could  secure  the 
agency  of  none  of  those  who  would  be  more  competent.  That 
he  is  a  son  is  an  advantage,  in  so  far  as  the  relation  secures 
special  opportunities  of  information,  and  the  strongest  motives  to 
diligence.  It  need,  on  the  other  hand,  occasion  no  embarrass- 
ment, as  he  does  not  purpose  to  intrude  upon  others  his  opinions 
of,  or  his  affection  for  his  Father,  but  simply  to  gather  and  present 
materials  through  which  his  Father  and  his  work  may  speak  for 
themselves,  and  the  opinions  of  the  most  competent  among  his  con- 
temporaries may  be  impartially  reflected. 

At  the  repeated  and  earnest  solicitation  of  his  children^  my  Father 

jotted  down  during  the  last  year  of  his  life  some  reminiscences  of 

iii 


jv  PREFACE. 

his  childhood  and  youth,  and  of  his  early  friends.  These  I  have  re- 
corded in  the  first  and  second  chapters  of  this  Memoir,  preserving 
his  order  and  language  in  the  first  person,  but  interpolating  addi- 
tional matter  of  the  same  kind,  culled  from  the  reminiscences  of 
"my  Father's  only  brother,  the  late  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Hodge,  of  Philadel- 
phiaVidictated  to  his  daughter-in-law,  Mrs.  Harriet  Woolsey  Hodge, 
during  the  winters  of  '70  and  '71.  I  have  preferred  rather  to  fuse  the 
new  material  with  that  of  my  Father,  than  to  keep  them  mechanically 
distinct,  and  have  marked  the  words  of  my  uncle  as  his  only  in  a  few 
instances,  when  the  propriety  of  doing  so  will  be  evident. 

The  other  sources  from  which  these  memorials  are  drawn  are  : — A 
diary  kept  during  his  residence  in  Germany,  from  March,  1827,  to 
May,  1828 : — meager  notices  of  events  and  dates,  preserved  in  con- 
nection with  his  daily  record  of  the  weather : — his  published  writings 
and  his  extant  manuscripts : — his  own  letters,  preserved  by  his 
mother,  brother,  and  friends : — the  letters  of  his  correspondents : — 
estimates  of  his  character  and  services,  published  during  his  life  and 
since  his  decease,  and  especially  the  printed  records  of  his  Semi- 
centennial Celebration,  April  24th,  1872. 

The  state  of  his  letters  and  papers  is  accurately  represented  by 
what  he  said  in  response  to  an  application  from  a  daughter  of  one 
of  his  oldest  friends:  "Through  my  long  life  I  have  never  destroyed 
and  never  preserved  letters."  With  much  care  many  interesting 
relics  have  been  recovered  from  the  mass,  while  doubtless  much  just 
as  valuable  remains  undiscovered. 

I  am  particularly  indebted  to  my  Father's  pupils  in  Ireland  and 
Scotland— Prof.  Robert  Watts,  D.  D.,  of  Belfast,  and  Mr.  Charles  A. 
Salmond,  of  Arbroath,  and  to  Rev.  Professor  Benjamin  B.  Warfield, 
and  the  Rev.  Drs.  Henry  A.  Boardman  and  Wm.  M.  Paxton,  of 
America. 

PRINCETON,  N.  J.,  August  19,  1880.  A.  A.  HODGE. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  I. 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY, 

WITH  EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  REMINISCENCES  OF  HIS  BROTHER. 
Ancestry,  Childhood,  Mother,  Brother,  Teachers  and  Companions      .     .       1-19 

CHAPTER  II. 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY  CONTINUED. 

FROM    HIS    ENTERING  THE    COLLEGE    OF    NEW    JERSEY,    SEPTEMBER, 
l8l2,  TO  HIS  GRADUATION,  SEPTEMBER,   1815. 

Profession  of  religion — Revival — Class-mates  and  Teachers         ....     20—38 
CHAPTER  III. 

FROM   HIS   GRADUATION   FROM  THE   COLLEGE,    SEPTEMBER,    1815,  TO 
HIS   GRADUATION   FROM    THE   THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY, 
SEPTEMBER,    1 8 19. 

Study  in  Philadelphia — Journeys  to  Silver  Lake  and  Virginia — Seminary  life 
*    and  friends — and  letters  to  Mother  and  Brother 39-67 

CHAPTER  IV. 

FROM    HIS   GRADUATION    FROM    THE  SEMINARY,  SEPTEMBER  27,   1819, 
TO  HIS  ELECTION  AS  PROFESSOR,  MAY  24,   l822. 

Correspondence  with  Dr.  Alexander,  and  with  his  Mother  and  Brother — Visit 
to  New  Haven,  Boston  and   Andover— His  licensure,  teaching  in  the 

Seminary,  and  preaching  at  Lambertville  and  Ewing 68-91 

V 


vj  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  V. 

FROM   HIS   ELECTION   AS   PROFESSOR,  MAY,   1 822,  TO   HIS   DEPARTURE 
FOR   EUROPE,  OCTOBER,  1826. 

His  election  as  Professor — Marriage — Birth  and  baptism  of  children — Studies 
and  commencement  of  the  Biblical  Repertory— Resolution  to  go  to  Eu- 
rope   92-I03 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FROM  HIS   DEPARTURE  FOR   EUROPE,  OCTOBER,  1826,  TO   HIS  RETURN 
TO  PRINCETON,  SEPTEMBER,   1828. 

Letters  to  his  wife,  mother,  and  Dr.  Alexander,  relating  to  his  voyage  and 
residence  in  Paris — His  journal,  kept  during  his  residence  in  Halle  and 
Berlin — Letters  from  Drs.  Alexander  and  Miller — His  own  letters  relating 
to  his  visit  to  Switzerland,  and  return  home  via  Paris,  London,  and 
Liverpool 104-201 

CHAPTER  VII. 

FROM  HIS  RETURN  TO   HOME  AND  WORK    IN   PRINCETON,  SEPTEMBER, 
1828,  TO  HIS  TRANSFERENCE  TO   THE  CHAIR  OF  SYSTEM- 
ATIC THEOLOGY,  MAY,   1840. 

Work  as  a  professor  and  preacher — Correspondence  with  German  friends — 
Children,  family  relations,  and  recreations — Correspondence  with  brother 
— Death  of  mother — Politics  -  Lameness — His  department  of  instruction 
reinforced  by  Mr.  Hubbard  and  Professor  J.  A.  Alexander— Gathering  of 
professors  and  friends  in  study — The  Biblical  Repertory  and  Princeton 
Review — Its  history,  and  estimate  of  its  character  and  influence — The 
qualifications  and  success  of  Dr.  Hodge  as  an  editor  and  reviewer — His 
associates  and  principal  contributors — His  Commentary  on  Romans — 
His  Constitutional  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United 
States 202-284 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  DISRUPTION  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  (1834-1838). 

The  historical  conditions  out  of  which  the  conflict  sprang — The  several  parties 
in  the  church — The  true  position  of  the  *'  Princeton,"  or  conservative 
'*  party" — Dr.  Hodge's  own  statement  of  the  principles  on  which  he  and 
his  associates  acted— The  thorough  agreement  of  all  the  Princeton  men 
as  to  principles  and  measures — Misconceptions  corrected — Dr.  Hodge's 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Vll 


relation  to  the  "Act  and  Testimony" — His  letters  to  his  brother  and  to 
Dr.  Boardman        285 — 320 

CHAPTER  IX. 

FROM  THE  CHANGE  OF  HIS  PROFESSORSHIP,  MAY,  1840,  TO  THE  DEATH 
OF  DR.  ARCHIBALD  ALEXANDER,  OCTOBER,   1851. 

His  transfer  to  the  chair  of  Systematic  Theology — His  method  and  success  in 
teaching — The  "Way  of  Life" — Letters  from  Dr.  A.  Alexander,  Bishop 
Johns,  Ludwig,  and  Otto  Von  Gerlach — His  articles  in  the  Princeton 
Review — Slavery — Sustentation — Romish  Baptism — His  letters  to  his 
brother,  and  from  Drs.  Biggs  and  Johns  —Friendship and  correspondence 
with  Dr.  William  Cunningham— Death  of  Professor  Albert  B.  Dod — 
Marriage  and  departure  of  his  children — Death  of  his  wife — Disturbed 
health — Death  of  his  senior  colleagues 321 — 383 


CHAPTER  X. 

FROM   THE    DEATH   OF    DR.    ARCHIBALD    ALEXANDER,     1851,    TO    THE 
COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR,   l86l. 

A  member  of  the  Boards  of  the  Church— Trustee  of  the  College  of  New  Jer- 
sey—Methods of  Teaching — Second  marriage — Correspondence  with  his 
brother,  politics — Dancing  and  card-playing— The  baptism  of  the  infants 
of  non-professors — Commentaries — Articles  in  the  Princeton  Review  (I.) 
On  the  General  Assemblies — The  relation  of  the  Board  of  Missions  to  the 
Presbyteries — The  constitutionality  of  our  Boards — Commissions — The 
adoption  of  the  Confession  of  Faith — Religious  education,  and  the  reli- 
gious amendment  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States — (II.)  Free 
Agency,  Inspiration,  &c. — (III.)  Presbyterian  Liturgies — (IV.)  "The 
Princeton  Review  and  Cousin's  Philosophy  ' — (V.)  Review  of  Bishop 
Mcllvaine  on  the  Church — (VI.)  His  articles  on  the  Church  and  Elder 
question — Correspondence  with  Dr.  William  Cunningham  and  Bishop 
Johns — The  death  of  Drs.  James  W.  and  Joseph  A.  Alexander — Letter 
of  Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney — Election  of  his  son,  C.  W.  Hodge,  as  Professor  of 
N.  T.  Literature,  &c.— His  great  debate  with  Dr.  Thornwell  in  the  Gen. 
eral  Assembly  of  1861 384 — 448 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FROM    l86l,  AND  THE  COMMENCEMENT    OF   THE    CIVIL  WAR,  TO  1872, 
AND  THE   CELEBRATION  OF  DR.  HODGE'S   SEMI-CENTENNIAL. 

His  appearance  and  health — His  occupations  and  recreation — The  composi- 
tion of  his  "  Systematic  Theology  ''—The  Sabbath  afternoon  Conferences 
—  The  Civil  War :  correspondence  with  his  brother — The  assassination 


vjjf  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

of  Lincoln :  correspondence  with  his  brother" — Letter  to  Dr.  Robert 
Watts  on  the  "Witness  of  the  Spirit" — The  relation  of  the  Church  to 
political  questions,  and  the  merits  of  the  actual  decisions  by  the  General 
'  Assembly  (O.  S.)  of  questions  growing  out  of  the  War — The  case  of  the 
Rev.  S.  B.  McPheeters,  D.  D.— The  re-union  of  the  Old  and  New  School 
Presbyterians — The  National  Presbyterian  Convention,  Philadelphia, 
Nov.,  1867 449-508 


CHAPTER  XII. 

HIS   SEMI-CENTENNIAL. 

APRIL  24,  IS/2 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

HIS  LAST  YEARS. 

FROM  1872  TO  HIS  DEATH,  JUNE  19,   1878. 

His  appearance  and  habit  of  mind  —  The  object  of  general  love,  in  his  family, 
the  Seminary,  and  among  his  students  —  The  death  of  his  brother,  Dr.  H. 
L.  Hodge,  of  Philadelphia  —  Dr.  William  Goodell's  biographical  sketch 
of  him  —  The  visit  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1872  to  Washington  —  The 
Evangelical  Alliance,  New  York,  1873  —  Historical  sermon,  delivered  at 
the  re-opening  of  the  Chapel  of  the  Theological  Seminary  in  Princeton, 
September  27th,  1874  —  Latest  correspondence  and  interviews  with  his 
friend,  Bishop  Johns  —  The  appointment  of  his  assistant  and  successor  — 
His  eightieth  birth-day  —  His  writings  during  these  last  years  .  531-577 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
THE   LAST    DAYS  .......    578-587 

CHAPTER  XV. 

DR.  HODGE  CONSIDERED  AS  A  TEACHER,  PREACHER,  THEOLOGIAN, 
AND  CHRISTIAN  MAN,  BY  THE  REV.  DRS.  BENJAMIN  B.  WARFIELD, 
WILLIAM  M.  PAXTON,  AND  HENRY  A.  BOARDMAN.  GENERAL  ES- 

TIMATE OF  DR.  HODGE'S  SYSTEMATIC  THEOLOGY,  BY  PROF.  c.  p. 

KRAUTH,  D.  D  ...............      588-616 


THE   LIFE 

OF 


CHARLES  HODGE,  D.D. 


CHAPTER   I. 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY, 

WITH   EXTRACTS  FROM   THE  REMINISCENCES   OF   HIS   BROTHER. 


ANCESTRY— CHILDHOOD— MOTHER— BROTHER— TEACHERS    AND 
COMPANIONS. 

DURING  the  last  years  of  the  seventeenth  and  the  first 
of  the  eighteenth  centuries,  William  Hodge,  and 
Margaret,  his  wife,  lived  in  the  north  of  Ireland.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  boys  and  two  girls,  of  whom  two 
died  in  early  childhood,  and  one  surviving  to  maturity  left 
no  record.  The  father  died  January  4th,  1723,  and  the 
mother  October  I5th,  1730. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  their  mother,  the  three  remaining 
children,  William,  Andrew  and  Hugh,  emigrated  to  America 
and  settled  in  Philadelphia,  where  they  became  successful 
merchants  and  men  of  influence  in  the  community.  William 
had  but  one  child,  Mary,  who  in  August,  1757,  married  Mr. 
William  West,  from  whom  are  descended  the  Wests,  Con- 
ynghams  and  Fraziers  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  Stewarts  of 
Baltimore.  Hugh,  the  youngest  of  the  three  brothers,  had 
but  one  child,  a  son  bearing  his  own  name,  who  graduated 
in  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  in  Princeton,  in  1773,  and 
took  his  master's  degree  in  course.  Soon  afterwards  he 
1  i 


/      *  »    «•   «•*   r ******   »        -9       O       "'•* 

*\ :  :-*  S  /*:  v  **  •  ..iJfyKgb/OGXAPffY.  [1745- 

sailed  for  Europe,  but  the  ship  he  sailed  in  was  never  heard 
of  after  leaving  port. 

'  His  mother,  Mrs.  Hannah  Hodge,  known  for  many  years 
in  the  family  as  Aunt  Hannah,  was  recognized  in  all  the 
city  as  a  mother  in  Israel.  She  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
January,  172 1,  the  daughter  of  John  Harkum,  of  "English 
descent.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Doz,  was 
the  child  of  a  Protestant  who  fled  from  France  on  account 
of  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantz,  1685,  and  afterwards 
with  other  French  Protestants,  was  principally  instrumental 
in  founding  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  then  standing 
on  Market  Street  above  Second,  of  which  the  Rev.  Jedidiah 
Andrews  was  pastor.  Although  Hannah  joined  the  church 
in  1736  or  7  she  thought  her  true  conversion  occurred  un- 
der the  preaching  of  Whitefield,  when  her  life  became  emi- 
nently consecrated  to  religious  interests.  When  in  1743 
the  Second  Presbyterian  was  formed  out  of  the  converts  of 
Whitefield,  she  was  one  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  communi- 
cants originally  enrolled.  In  1745,  she  married  Mr.  Hugh 
Hodge,  who  was  a  deacon  in  the  Second  Church  from  its 
foundation  to  the  time  of  his  death.  They  had  a  dry-goods 
store  on  the  north  side  of  Market  Street  above  Second. 
Their  house  was  the  resort  of  clergymen  and  the  centre  of 
religious  meetings.  After  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Hodge, 
although  left  independent,  retained  the  business  in  order 
that  she  might  not  curtail  her  charities.  Dr.  Ashbel  Green, 
her  pastor,  afterwards  President  of  Princeton  College,  en- 
tertained a  sincere  reverence  for  her,  and  concludes  his 
memoir  of  her,  printed  in  the  Panoplist,  vol.  2d,  for  the  year 
ending  June,  1807,  with  a  glowing  eulogium  of  his  friend. 
"Solid  sense,  sterling  integrity,  sincere  piety  united  with 
great  humility,  the  love  of  truth  and  the  abhorrence  of  hy- 
pocrisy were  her  chief  characteristics.  These  gave  her  an 
influence  among  her  Christian  associates  perhaps  superior 
to  that  of  any  other  individual."  Her  house  was  the  home 
of  several  old  and  infirm  ladies,  supported  in  great  measure 


1 739-]  HIS  GRANDFATHER,  ANDREW  HODGE.  3 

by  her  bounty;  and  here*  also  originated  the  weekly  meet- 
ing for  prayer  and  religious  instruction  observed  still  in  the 
Second  Church,  and  in  most  of  the  other  Presbyterian 
Churches  of  the  city.  The  house  in  which  she  lived  was, 
by  the  will  of  her  husband,  left  upon  her  decease  to  the 
Trustees  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  for  the  education  of 
candidates  for  the  ministry.  This  endowment  has  con- 
tinued to  fulfil  the  pious  design  of  its  founders  up  to  the 
present  time,  yielding  an  income  varying  from  eight  to 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  annually;  thus  constituting  with  a 
few  others  the  foundations  of  a  system  of  endowments 
which  has  since  attained  magnificent  proportions. 

Aunt  Hannah  died  December  i/th,  1805,  when  I  was 
eight  years  old.  I  was  present  at  her  funeral,  and  was  stand- 
ing with  my  cousin,  John  Bayard,  rather  older  than  myself, 
near  the  open  coffin.  We  began  to  cry.  We  thought  that 
was  the  right  thing  to  do.  But  his  mother  came  up,  and 
giving  us  a  little  shake,  said  in  an  authoritative  whisper, 
"Stop."  The  discovery  that  we  were  making  ourselves 
ridiculous,  instantly  dried  the  fountain  of  tears.  By  such 
filaments  the  present  generation  is  connected  with  the 
past. 

Andrew  Hodge,  the  second  in  order  of  age  of  the  three 
immigrant  brothers,  born  in  Ireland,  March  28th,  1711,  was 
my  grandfather.  He  soon  became  a  successful 
and  acquired  considerable  property.  His  wharf,  and  store, 
and  city  residence  in  which  he  spent  his  life,  were  on  Water 
Street,  to  the  south  of  what  is  now  termed  Delaware 
Avenue.  His  country  seat  was  on  Mead  lane,  now  Mont- 
gomery Avenue,  and  he  possessed  one  of  the  only  six  car- 
riages then  in  the  city.  He  was  active  and  influential  in  all 
the  affairs  of  the  Church  and  of  the  community,  one  of  the 

*  "  The  crowd  being  often  so  great  as  to  fill,  not  only  the  parlor  and  kitchen, 
but  even  the  back  garden,  close  up  against  Christ  Church  ground,  and  much  to 
the  offence  of  our  Episcopal  brethren,  who  called  them  '  Those  conventicles  held 
by  Mrs.  Hodge.'  " 


4  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1745- 

founders  of  and  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  Second  Church, 
and  a  member  of  its  board  of  Trustees  to  the  day  of  his 
de'ath.  In  1739  he  married  Miss  Jane  M'Culloch.  Her 
brother  Hugh  was  an  elder  in  the  Second  Church,  and  a 
man  of  great  goodness  and  influence,  though  remarkable 
for  the  great  tenacity  with  which  he  held  on  to  his  own 
opinions.  He  never  would  consent  to  the  assertion  that  the 
earth  moves ;  maintaining  that  it  was  contrary  alike  to  his 
own  observation  and  to  Bible  authority,  as  Joshua  com- 
manded not  the  earth,  but  the  sun  to  stand  still.  His  char- 
acter is  said  to  have  been  imbibed  by  our  family,  "  O  !  there 
is  Uncle  M'Culloch  "  having  become  quite  a  saying  among 
the  descendants  of  his  sister. 

The  religious  excitement  which  attended  the  preaching 
of  Whitefield  in  this  country  about  the  middle  of  the  last 
century,  gave  rise  to  two  parties  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Those  who  approved  of  the  revival  were  called  New  Lights, 
and  those  who  stood  aloof  or  opposed  to  it,  were  called  Old 
Lights.  The  pastor  of  the  First  Church,  then  the  only  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  Philadelphia,  together  with  a  majority 
of  the  congregation  were  Old  Lights,  while  a  minority  were 
on  the  other  side.  These  latter  were,  at  their  own  request, 
set  off  and  organized  into  the  Second  Church,  of  which  the 
celebrated  Gilbert  Tennent  was  the  first  pastor.  Of  this 
Andrew  Hodge,  Senior,  was  a  Trustee,  and  his  son-in-law, 
Col.  John  Bayard,  and  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Hugh  M'Cul- 
loch, were  ruling  elders.  The  Church  edifice  was  erected 
on  the  corner  of  Third  and  Arch  Streets.  It  was  an  oblong 
building.  The  shorter  side  on  the  east  faced  Third  Street ; 
the  longer  side  was  on  Arch  Street.  The  steeple  was  on  the 
west  end,  and  the  pulpit  was  on  the  north  side.  Subse- 
quently the  steeple  was  taken  down  and  the  tower  included 
in  the  auditorium,  and  the  pews  were  turned  round  to  face 
the  pulpit,  which  was  placed  at  the  west  end.  The  Church 
in  after  years  was  removed  to  Seventh  Street,  near  Arch, 
where  it  remained  during  the  pastorates  of  Rev.  Drs.  Cuyler 


1767.]  DESCENDANTS  OF  ANDRE  W  HOD  GE.  5 

and  Shields.  The  shifting  of  the  population  necessitating 
another  removal,  a  lot  was  purchased  at  the  corner  of 
Twenty-first  and  Walnut,  on  which  has  been  erected  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  church-buildings  in  the  city.  My  grand- 
father's pew  in  the  original  edifice  on  Third  and  Arch  Streets 
was  the  front  one  in  the  middle  aisle  to  the  left  hand  of  the 
preacher.  The  same  pew,  i.  e.,  the  same  in  relative  position, 
has  remained  in  the  family  ever  since.  It  is  now  held  by 
the  great-grandson  of  the  original  occupant,  Dr.  H.  Lenox 
Hodge,  who  is  also  a  ruling  elder  in  his  ancestral  Church. 

These  family  details  are  of  interest  to  those  whom  they 
concern.  I  wish,  however,  that  those  who  come  after  me 
should  know  that  their  ancestors  and  kindred  were  Presby- 
terians and  patriots. 

Andrew  Hodge  and  Jane  M'Culloch  were  the  parents  of 
fifteen  children,  eight  of  whom  died  in  infancy  or  early  life. 
Their  eldest  child,  Margaret,  married  John  Rubenheim  Bay- 
ard, of  Bohemia  Manor,  Maryland,  afterwards  a  Colonel 
in  the  Revolutionary  army.  After  the  war  he  settled  in 
Philadelphia,  but  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life  resided  in 
New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey.  His  sons  were  James  A., 
who  married  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rodgers,  New 
York ;  Andrew,  a  merchant,  and  president  of  the  Commer- 
cial Bank,  Philadelphia;  Samuel,  clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States,  and  a  resident  of  Princeton,  New 
Jersey  ;  John  M.,  who  resided  on  the  Millstone  river,  near 
to  a  village  of  the  same  name ;  and  Nicholas,  a  physician, 
who  settled  in  Savannah,  Georgia.  His  daughters  were  Jane, 
who  married  Chief  Justice  Kirkpatrick,  of  New  Brunswick, 
N.  J. ;  Maria,  who  married  Samuel  Boyd,  Esq.,  of  New 
York;  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Harrison  Smith,  of  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 

Agnes,  the  second  child  of  Andrew  Hodge,  sr.,  married 
James  Ashton,  a  twin-brother  of  her  brother-in-law,  Col. 
John  R.  Bayard,  who  was  a  surgeon  in  the  revolutionary 
army,  and  was  accidentally  killed  in  Charleston,  South  Car- 


6  A  UTOBIO  GRAPHY.  [1772. 

olina.  Their  children  were  John  Hodge  Bayard,  who  lived 
in  Cumberland  and  died  unmarried ;  Jane,  whom  I  remem- 
ber as  a  portly  lady,  dressed  in  the  simple  habit  of  a  Qua- 
keress, which  the  stricter  Methodists  of  that  period  adopted  ; 
and  Jarnes  Ashton  Bayard,  jr.,  born  July  28,  1767.  He 
practiced  law  in  Wilmington,  Delaware,  and  in  1787  repre- 
sented his  district  in  the  National  House  of  Representatives. 
In  1804  he  was  chosen  United  States  Senator,  as  successor 
to  his  father-in  law,  Governor  Bassett,  which  position  he  re- 
tained until  he  was  selected  by  President  Madison  as  a 
Commissioner,  together  with  Gallatin,  Clay,  and  others,  to 
negotiate  a  peace  with  Great  Britain.  His  son,  Richard-H. 
/  Bayard,  was  United  States  Senator  from  1836  to  1839,  an<^ 
again  from  1841  to  1845.  His  second  son,  the  third  James 
Ashton  Bayard  in  the  direct  line,  was  United  States  Senator 
for  many  years.  And  again  the  office  has  been  continued 
in  the  third  generation,  in  the  person  of  the  present  Senator, 
Thomas  F.  Bayard. 

A  third  daughter  of  Andrew  Hodge,  sr.,  married  a  gentle- 
man from  the  West  Indies,  by  the  name  of  Philips.  She 
left  an  only  child,  a  daughter,  who  died  unmarried. 

A  fourth  daughter,  Mary,  married  Major  Hodgdon,  a 
commissary  in  the  revolutionary  army.  She  lived  to  a 
great  age,  and  left  many  children. 

The  sons  of  Andrew  Hodge,  sr.,  were  John,  a  physician, 
who  died  at  twenty-three  years  of  age,  and  William,  a  mer- 
chant, who  residing  abroad  was  called  by  acquaintances  on 
the  Continent,  "  the  handsome  American."  After  the  revo- 
lution he  was  employed  in  the  secret  service  of  his  govern- 
ment, and  falling  under  suspicion,  was  for  a  time  confined  in 
the  Bastile,  where  he  was  well  treated.  He  died  when  only 
thirty  years  old.  Of  James,  the  youngest  son  of  Andrew, 
sr.,  it  is  only  known  that  he  died  unmarried.  Andrew,  jr., 
graduated  in  Princeton  College  in  the  class  of  1772,  and 
married  Ann  Ledyard,  half-sister  of  the  traveler  and  author. 
He  was  a  Captain  in  the  Pennsylvania  line  during  the  revo- 


1 79o.]  HIS  FATHER  AND  MOTHER.  7 

lution,  and  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Princeton,  and  used 
to  boast  that  he  had  captured  a  cannon  in  "  Stockton's 
woods."  He  lived  to  a  great  age,  and  left  many  children.  I 
heard  the  old  gentleman  say  that  at  the  battle  of  Princeton 
a  company  from  Delaware,  formed  a  little  in  advance  of  his 
own,  broke  and  ran  at  the  first  fire  of  the  British.  Its  Cap- 
tain, who  was  rather  corpulent,  came  puffing  by  crying, 
"  Run,  Captain  Hodge,  run,  Captain  Hodge,  we  shall  all  be 
killed."  The  only  answer  I  could  get  to  the  question  "  Did 
Captain  Hodge  run?"  was  a  little  laugh.  He  fell  back,  how- 
ever, upon  his  treasure  trove,  "  the  cannon  in  Stockton's 
woods." 

Hugh,  the  eighth  child  and  fourth  son  of  Andrew  Hodge, 
sr.,  was  my  father.  He  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  August 
2O>  X755>  graduated  in  the  College  of  New  Jersey  in  1773, 
and  studied  medicine  under  the  eminent  doctor  Cadwalader. 
He  was  appointed  Surgeon,  February  7,  1776,  in  the  third 
battalion  of  troops  raised  in  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania, 
in  the  service  of  the  United  Colonies.  He  was  captured  by 
the  British,  and  held  as  a  prisoner  at  Fort  Washington,  N. 
Y.,  but  through  the  intervention  of  General  Washington 
was  liberated  on  parole.  After  engaging  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits with  his  brother  Andrew,  he  returned  to  the  practice 
of  medicine,  and  soon  secured  an  influential  connection. 
The  tradition  of  his  fine  person  and  attractive  manners 
lingered  among  the  latest  survivors  of  his  generation.  He 
was  a  prominent  actor  in  the  terrible  scenes  occasioned  by 
the  memorable  epidemics  of  yellow  fever  in  1793,  and  after- 
wards in  1795.  And  through  the  exposure  incident  to  his 
labors  on  these  occasions  his  constitution  was  impaired,  and 
he  died  after  protracted  sufferings  July  14,  1798,  at  the  early 
age  of  forty-three.  His  pastor,  Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  said  of 
him,  in  his  eulogium,  that  "  as  a  husband,  father,  brother, 
friend  and  citizen,  none  surpassed  him." 

His  wife,  my  mother,  was   Mary  Blanchard,   of  Boston. 
Her  mother's  name  was  Hunt,  probably  of  English  origin. 


8  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1790. 

Her  father,  Joseph  Blanchard,  was  a  descendant  of  the 
French  Huguenots.  She  was  born  in  Boston  in  1765,  and 
passed  her  earliest  years  amidst  the  excitements  preparatory 
to<  the  rebellion  of  the  Colonies  against  the  authority  of 
Great  Britain.  Of  course  her  opportunities  for  education 
were  comparatively  few,  but  such  as  they  were  she  employed 
them  well,  and  early  manifested  a  great  taste  for  reading, 
often  retiring  from  the  fire-side  circle  to  a  cold  room,  in  the 
depth  of  a  Boston  winter,  and  there  enveloped  in  a  blanket, 
read  and  committed  to  memory  passages  from  Pope  and 
Dryden,  which  she  could  repeat  in  after  life.  The  physician 
of  her  family  was  the  celebrated  Dr.  Joseph  Warren,  after- 
wards Major-General  Warren,  who  fell  at  Bunker  Hill,  one 
of  the  first  of  his  country's  martyrs.  Her  recollections  of 
him  were  always  very  vivid,  as  she  often  sat  on  his  lap 
listening  to  his  enthusiastic  discourse  upon  the  exciting  con- 
troversies of  the  day.  She  was  the  youngest  of  several 
children.  The  descendants  of  some  of  her  brothers  remain 
in  Boston  to  the  present  time,  while  those  of  others  are  in 
the  extreme  south-west.  Her  brother  Samuel  married  a 
niece  of  the  Hon.  Timothy  Pickering,  a  Colonel  in  the  revo- 
lutionary army,  and  afterward  was  Secretary  of  War,  under 
Washington.  Her  favorite  nephew,  Francis  Blanchard,  was 
father  of  the  first  wife  of  the  distinguished  Mr.  Winthrop,  of 
Boston.  Her  parents  died  when  she  was  young,  and  her 
brothers  and  sisters,  being  for  the  most  part  married,  she 
came  to  Philadelphia  to  reside  with  her  brother,  John  Blan- 
chard, about  1785,  at  twenty  years  of  age,  and  was  intro- 
duced to  our  family  through  letters  to  Maj.  Hodgdon. 

After  a  courtship,  protracted  by  the  failure  of  his  mercan- 
tile enterprises,  she  was  married  to  my  father  in  1790,  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Green]  and  went  to  housekeeping  in  the  dwelling- 
house  on  the  west  of  the  store-house,  on  Water  street  below 
Race,  belonging  to  the  estate  of  his  father,  Andrew  Hodge, 
sr.,  then  recently  deceased.  On  December  ipth,  their  first 
child  was  born,  a  daughter,  whom  they  named  Elizabeth. 


JET.  o.]  HIS  BIRTH.  9 

She  was  a  healthy  and  promising  child,  until  in  August, 

1793,  she  was  suddenly  carried  off  by  yellow  fever.     Their 
second  child  was  Mary,  born  September  1st,  1792,  and  their 
third  child  was  a  little  boy  named  Hugh,  born  August  24, 

1794.  When  her  little  boy  was  about  a  year  old,  after  many 
years  of  absence,  my  mother  revisited  her  home  in  Boston, 
leaving  her  little   ones  in  Philadelphia.     Very  shortly  the 
little  Mary  sickened  with  measles,  of  which  fact,  of  course, 
the  mother  was  instantly  informed.     She  immediately  left 
Boston  in  the  mail  stage,  and  after  traveling  three  days  and 
three  nights  she  arrived  home  to  find  that  Mary  was  dead, 
and  Hugh  also  was  dying  of  the  same  disease.   .Thus  was 
she  left  again  childless.     Their  fourth  child,  Hugh  Lenox 
Hodge,  was  born  June  27,  1796,  the  year  after  the  death  of 
his  little  namesake  brother.    The  family  at  tkis  time,  because 
of  the  supposed  insalubrity  of  Water  street,  removed  to  a 
house  on  the  south  side  of  Arch  street  above  Fourth,  the 
third  door  from  Christ  Church  burying-ground.     Here  at 
midnight,  in  the  last  moments  of  the  27th  or  the  first  mo- 
ments of  the  28th  of  December,  1797,  I,  the   fifth   and  last 
child,  was   born.     Aunt   Hannah   used  to  inquire  for  "  that 
strange  named  child,  Charles,"  as  it  was  a  new  name  in  the 
family.   \  My  father  died   the   I4th  of  July  the  next  year, 
leaving  my  mother  a  widow  in  very  limited  circumstances, 
with  two  infants  respectively  two  years  and  six  months  of 
age. 

It  is  no  marvel  that  mothers  are  sacred  in.  the  eyes  of 
their  children.  The  debt  they  owe  them  is  beyond 
all  estimate.  To  our  mother,  my  brother  and  myself, 
under  God,  owe  absolutely  everything.  To  us  she  de- 
voted her  life.  For  us  she  prayed,  labored  and  suffered. 
My  grandfather's  property  yielded  her  for  some  years  a 
comfortable  income.  But  as  it  consisted  principally  of  the 
Water  (Arch)  Street  wharf,  with  its  docks,  and  the  ware- 
house and  dwellings  by  which,  on  three  sides,  it  was  sur- 
rounded, its  proceeds  depended  on  the  state  of  commerce. 


r!0  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1832. 

As  the  non-intercourse  act  and  embargo  which  preceded 
the  war  of  1812,  and  the  war  itself,  led  to  the  suspension  of 
commercial  business,  our  mother's  income  was  almost 
entirely  cut  off.  This  was  at  the  time  we  were  preparing 
for  college.  Instead  of  putting  her  children  off  her  hands, 
and  leaving  them  to  provide  for  themselves,  by  sacrificing 
all  she  had, [by  the  most  self-denying  economy,  and  by 
keeping  boarders,  she  succeeded  in  securing  for  them  the 
benefits  of  a  collegiate  and  professional  education,  at  her 
expense,  and  without  loss  of  time.  She  lived  long  enough 
to  see  both  her  sons  settled  in  life  and  heads  of  families. 

It  is  a  tradition  in  the  family  that  in  her  youth  she  was 
distinguished  for  personal  beauty.  A  gentleman  from  Bos- 
ton, after  age  and  illness  had  produced  their  inevitable 
effects,  exclaimed,  "  Can  that  be  the  beautiful  Mary  Blanch- 
ard,  of  Boston  ?"  In  the  eyes  of  her  children  she  continued 
beautiful  to  the  end.  Her  large  blue  eyes  never  lost  their 
light  of  intelligence  and  love. 

Although  thus  devoted  to  the  support  and  education  of 
her  children,  she  was  always  active  in  promoting  the  wel- 
fare of  others.  Her  son  Hugh  has  recorded  his  recollec- 
tion of  trudging  by  her  side  through  the  snow  many 
squares  to  assist,  with  other  ladies,  in  the  distribution  of 
soup  and  groceries  to  the  destitute,  either  as  donations,  or 
at  wholesale  prices.  <She  was  one  of  the  founders,  and  to 
the  time  of  her  death,  an  active  promoter  and  Directress  of 
the  "  Female  Association  for  the  Relief  of  Widows  and 
Single  Women  of  reduced  circumstances,"  which  still  con- 
tinues, after  eighty  years,  one  of  the  most  useful,  as  it  was 
one  of  the  earliest  of  the  many  benevolent  institutions  of 
Philadelphia. 

Having  been  an  invalid  for  several  years,  early  in  April, 
1832,  she  took  a  slight  cold,  which  did  not  seem  to  be  of 
any  importance  for  two  or  three  days.  But  this  was  unex- 
pectedly followed  by  pulmonary  congestion  and  slight 
delirium,  so  that  she  expired  on  the  fourteenth  of  that 


y£T.  9.]  HIS  BROTHER  HUGH.  1 1 

month ;  too  soon,  alas,  for  me  to  see  her  alive,  though  I 
left  Princeton  in  response  to  the  first  note  of  alarm.  [Her 
funeral  services  were  conducted  by  her  aged  pastor,  Dr. 
Ashbel  Green,  who  had  married  her,  baptized  her  children, 
and  delivered  an  eulogium  over  the  grave  of  her  husband. 

My  brother  was  far  more  than  a  brother  to  me.  Although 
only  eighteen  months  my  senior,  he  assumed  from  the  first 
the  office  of  guardian.  He  always  went  first  in  the  dark. 
I  never  slept  out  of  his  arms  until  I  was  eleven  or  twelve 
years  old.  I  have  now  (1877)  distinctly  before  my  mind 
the  room  in  which  that  crisis  in  my  life  occurred.  I  well 
recollect  how  quickly,  after  blowing  out  the  candle,  I 
jumped  into  bed,  and  threw  the  cover  over  my  head.  Hav- 
ing lived  through  that  night,  I  afterwards  got  on  very  well. 
No  professor  in  Princeton  was  ever  able  to  bring  up  and 
educate  a  family  of  children  on  his  salary.  My  brother, 
without  waiting  to  be  asked,  always  helped  me  through. 
iHe  seemed  to  regard  me  as  himself,  and  my  children  as 
his  own.  Although  he  rose  to  eminence  as  a  practitioner 
and  professor  of  medicine,  he  was  revered  principally  for 
his  goodness.  His  life-long  friend,  Dr.  Caspar  Morris,  said 
in  a  published  letter,  that  he  "  regarded  Dr.  Hugh  L. 
Hodge  as  the  best  man  he  had  ever  known."  He  left  five 
sons  ;  three  of  whom  are  ministers  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  one  is  a  minister  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  the 
fifth  is  a  Presbyterian  Ruling  Elder. ;  This  is  due,  I  firmly 
believe,  to  their  father's  prayers,  and  to  the  influence  of 
their  excellent  mother,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Mr.  John 
Aspinwall,  of  New  York. 

The  first  school  to  which  I  went  was  taught  by  an  old 
lady  in  Arch  street.  It  was  attended  by  a  room  full  of 
little  boys  and  girls.  I  afterwards  went  to  a  school  in 
Fifth  street,  opposite  Independence  Square,  taught  by 
Andrew  Brown,  a  worthy  elder  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church.  His  specialties  were  writing  and  arithmetic.  He 
was  an  adept  in  making  quill-pens,  and  an  expert  in  the  use 


12  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.     ';    •  [1809. 

of  them.  His  flourishes  were  wonderful.  He  must  also 
have  been  a  good  teacher  of  arithmetic.  At  least  I  knew 
more  of  arithmetic  then  than  I  do  now.  Within  a  few 
months  a  thin  folio  copy-book,  having  my  name  in  it,  and 
dated  1807,  was  found  among  some  old  papers.  This  book 
is  filled  with  solutions  of  questions  in  Barter,  Profit  and 
Loss,  many  of  which  would  puzzle  me  to  solve  now. 

My  next  school  was  taught  by  an  Irish  gentleman  named 
Taylor.  He  was  a  Swedenborgian.  He  lived  in  perpetual 
sunshine,  always  happy  and  always  amiable.  He  took  little 
interest  in  drilling  his  pupils  in  reading,  writing  and  arith- 
metic. His  favorite  method  of  teaching  was  to  get  half  a 
dozen  boys  around  him  before  a  large  wall  map  of  England, 
France,  Italy,  or  some  other  country,  pointing  out  its  rivers, 
mountains,  cities,  and  its  ancient  ruins ;  descanting  on  the 
elements  of  its  population ;  the  manners  and  customs  of  its 
people;  its  productions;  its  great  men;  mixing  up  geogra- 
phy, antiquities,  history  and  statistics.  He  would  linger 
around  the  battle-fields,  describe  the  conflicts,  taking  part 
vehemently  with  one  side  against  the  other.  He  was  an 
enthusiast,  and  infected  his  pupils  with  his  spirit.  He  used 
to  flatter  them ;  dubbing  them  with  the  names  and  ranks 
of  his  heroes.  My  associates  in  this  school  have,  as  far  as 
I  know,  all  passed  away.  There  were  two  Ralstons,  two 
McCalls,  two  Reeds,  James  Hopkinson,  John  Brinton,  and 
others  [with  whom  the  elder  brother  Hugh  says,  "  Charles, 
as  his  manner  was,  through  his  whole  life,  contracted  inti- 
mate friendships."]  These  now  are  all  gone. 

During  my  early  boyhood  in  Philadelphia,  my  brother 
and  myself  went  to  a  drawing-school  kept  in  a  room  over 
Woodward's  Book-store,  on  the  corner  of  Chestnut  and 
Third  streets.  Its  master  was  an  Englishman  named  Cox. 
He  was  a  character.  He  lived  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
city  by  himself,  in  a  house  filled  from  garret  to  cellar  with 
books  and  odds  and  ends  of  all  things  curious.  While 
under  his  instruction  I  executed  a  landscape  in  water  colors, 


/ET.  1 1 .]  EARL  Y  RELIGION.  I  3 

which  now  hangs  in,  my  study,  and  which  is  considered  to 
possess  considerable  merit.  How  the  merit  got  there  is  the 
mystery.  Those  who  know  anything  of  the  history  of  my 
one  work  of  art,  are  aware  that  when  painting  in  India  ink, 
the  teacher  looked  over  my  shoulder,  and  said,  "  Charles,  I 
think  I  could  spit  paint  better  than  that."  They  therefore 
find  it  hard  to  believe  that  the  merit  of  my  landscape  is  due 
to  native  talent  on  my  part,  and  not  to  the  intervention  of 
my  teacher. 

Our  early  training  was  religious.  Our  mother  was  a 
Christian.  She  took  us  regularly  to  church,  and  carefully 
drilled  us  in  the  Westminster  Catechism,  which  we  recited 
on  stated  occasions  to  Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  our  pastor. 
There  has  never  been  anything  remarkable  in  my  religious 
experience,  unless  it  be  that  it  began  very  early.  I  think 
that  in  my  childhood  I  came  nearer  to  conforming  to  the 
apostle's  injunction:  "Pray  without  ceasing,"  than  in  any 
other  period  of  my  life.  As  far  back  as  I  can  remember,  I 
had  the  habit  of  thanking  God  for  everything  I  received, 
and  asking  him  for  everything  I  wanted.  If  I  lost  a  book, 
or  any  of  my  playthings,  I  prayed  that  I  might  find  it.  I 
prayed  walking  along  the  streets,  in  school  and  out  of 
school,  whether  playing  or  studying.  I  did  not  do  this  in 
obedience  to  any  prescribed  rule.  It  seemed  natural.  I 
thought  of  God  as  an  everywhere-present  Being,  full  of 
kindness  and  love,  who  would  not  be  offended  if  children 
talked  to  him.  I  knew  he  cared  for  sparrows.  I  was  as  cheer- 
ful and  happy  as  the  birds,  and  acted  as  they  did.  There 
was  little  more  in  my  prayers  and  praises  than  in  the  wor- 
ship rendered  by  the  fowls  of  the  air.  This  mild  form  of 
natural  religion  did  not  amount  to  much.  It,  however,  saved 
me  from  profanity.  I  cannot  recollect  that  I  ever  uttered 
a  profane  word,  except  once.  It  was  when  I  was  thirteen 
or  fourteen  years  old.  I  was  walking  with  my  brother,  and 

struck  my  foot  against  a  stone,  and  said:  "D n  it." 

My  brother  was  shocked,  and  exclaimed:  "  Why,  Charles!!" 


14  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1810. 

I  cannot  tell  why  I  said  it.  I  was  not  hurt,  neither  was  I 
angry.  It  seemed  to  me  to  be  an  effect  without  a  cause.  I 
felt  like  a  very,  very  small  Paul,  when  he  said :  "  It  was  not 
I  who  did  it,  but  something  dwelling  in  me."  I  am  thank- 
ful that  no  similar  experience  ever  occurred  to  me. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1810  my  brother  and  myself 
were  sent  to  the  classical  Academy  in  Somerville,  New  Jer- 
sey. The  village  was  on  high  ground,  very  healthy,  and 
on  the  line  of  the  "  Swift  and  Sure  Mail  Coach  Line "  be- 
tween Philadelphia  and  New  York,  near  the  confluence  of 
the  Millstone  and  Raritan  rivers,  and  between  ten  and  twelve 
miles  west  of  New  Brunswick.  The  reason  for  my  mother's 
preference  for  that  school  was  not  its  celebrity,  but  its 
situation,  only  a  few  miles  from  the  residence  of  Mr.  John 
M.  Bayard,  who,  although  only  our  first  cousin,  was  old 
enough  to  exercise  parental  care  over  us.  For  the  first  six 
months  we  boarded  in  the  family  of  Mr.,  afterwards  Judge, 
Vandevere.  His  oldest  daughter  was  then  an  infant  a  few 
months  old.  I  was  sometimes  allowed  to  carry  her  about 
on  a  pillow.  After  leaving  Somerville,  I  did  not  see  her 
until  after  an  interval  of  fifty  years.  She  was  then  a  tall, 
thin  lady,  the  widow  of  the  Hon.  Wm.  Dayton,  U.  S.  Sena- 
tor and  Minister  to  France.  I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes. 

I  had  another  experience  of  the  same  kind.  During  my 
school  days  at  Somerville,  the  reigning  belle  of  that  region 
was  Miss  Martina  Ellmendorf.  We  boys  used  to  collect 
around  the  church-door  to  see  her  in  and  out  of  her  carriage. 
She  subsequently  married  the  Hon.  Dr.  Condict  of  Morris- 
town.  Some  forty  years  after  leaving  Somerville  I  dined 
at  Dr.  Condict's,  and  said  to  him  that  as  I  had  known  his 
wife  when  a  young  lady,  I  should  be  very  glad  to  be  pre- 
sented to  her.  He  replied  that  she  was  very  much  of  an 
invalid,  and  never  left  her  room,  but  that  after  dinner  he 
would  introduce  me.  Her  room  was  on  the  ground-floor; 
and  when  the  door  was  opened,  a  tall,  emaciated,  mild  and 
courteous  lady,  evidently  not  long  for  this  world,  rose  be- 


;ET.  13.]  A  T  SOMER  VILLE.  \  5 

fore  me.  I  could  not  help  thinking  that  if  identity  could 
be  preserved  in  spite  of  so  entire  a  change  of  all  that  was 
outward,  it  might  well  be  preserved  between  that  aged 
believer  (as  she  then  was)  and  what  she  would  be  when  she 
rose  resplendent  in  the  image  of  her  Saviour. 

During  the  remaining  eighteen  months  of  my  stay  in 
Somerville,  I  lived  in  the  family  of  Doctor,  better  known 
as  General,  Stryker.  The  beautiful  country  about  Somer- 
ville, on  the  Raritan  and  Millstone  rivers,  was  in  a  great 
measure  occupied  by  wealthy  and  refined  Dutch  families — 
the  Ellmendorfs,  Van  Vacters,  Van  Esses,  the  Frelinghuy- 
sens,  and  many  others.  Mr.  John  Frelinghuysen  lived  on 
the  Raritan,  a  few  miles  up  the  river ;  his  younger  brother, 
Frederick,  lived  in  the  village  of  Millstone :  he  was  the 
father  of  the  present  U.  S.  Senator,  the  Hon.  F.  T.  Freling- 
huysen. A  third  brother,  the  Hon.  Theodore  Frelinghuy- 
sen, so  long  the  ornament  of  New  Jersey,  and  General 
Stryker  had  married  sisters.  This  led  to  his  frequently 
visiting  the  family  in  which  I  lived.  I  thus  became  ac- 
quainted with  him  in  my  boyhood,  an  acquaintance  which, 
in  after  life,  ripened,  on  my  part,  into  a  revering  friendship. 
I  was  one  of  those  who  were  allowed  to  stand  around  his 
coffin,  and  gaze  on  his  saintly  countenance  in  the  repose  of 
death.  His  pronounced  evangelical  sentiments  militated 
against  his  political  success.  The  late  Governor  Seward 
was  on  intimate  terms  with  Archbishop  Hughes  of  New 
York,  and  called  on  him  with  the  request  that  he  would 
use  his  influence  with  the  Romanists  to  induce  them  to 
vote  the  Whig  ticket,  when  Clay  and  Frelinghuysen  were 
candidates  for  the  offices  of  President  and  Vice-President 
respectively.  The  Archbishop  shook  his.  head,  and  said : 
"  We  could  stand  'Mr.  Clay;  but  we  cannot  stand  Freling- 
huysen." This  was  told  me  by  a  distinguished  gentleman 
from  New  York.  My  informant  was  satisfied  of  the  truth 
of  the  anecdote. 

Mr.  Clay  was  also  a  praying  man.     The  late  Rev.  Dr. 


1 6  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1810. 

Edgar  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  told  me  that  when  traveling 
through  Kentucky,  he  spent  a  night  with  Mr.  Clay  at  the 
house  of  a  mutual  friend.  It  was  a  cholera  season.  During 
the  night  Mr.  Clay  was  taken  alarmingly  ill.  Dr.  Edgar 
was  one  of  his  attendants.  In  course  of  conversation  Mr 
Clay,  after  expressing  his  faith,  said  that  he  never  had  in- 
troduced a  measure  into  Congress,  without  first  kneeling 
down  and  invoking  the  guidance  and  blessing  of  God. 

I  began  the  study  of  Latin  when  I  went  to  Somerville. 
During  the  first  year  the  academy  was  taught  by  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Boyer,  afterwards  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Columbia,  Penna.  When  he  went  away,  the  school  was 
under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Vredenburgh,  pastor  of  the 
Dutch  Church  in  the  village.  On  one  occasion  the  pulpit 
was  filled  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Livingston,  long  the  patriarch 
of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  America.  He  was  a 
patrician  as  well  as  a  patriarch :  tall  and  elegant  in  person, 
careful  in  his  dress,  a  model  of  courtesy  in  manners,  hair 
perfectly  white  and  reaching  down  to  his  shoulders.  I 
could  not  believe  that  Abraham  was  more  venerable  in  his 
appearance.  The  only  thing  I  recollect  of  his  sermon  is 
that  he  exhorted  the  people  to  commit  to  memory  the  fif- 
teenth chapter  of  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians.  The 
exhortation  took  effect;  for  a  few  days  after  I  heard  Dr. 
Stryker  call  upon  his  daughters  to  repeat  that  chapter,  the 
doctor  himself  prompting  and  helping  them  through. 

One  summer  Dr.  Livingston  invited  Dr.  Archibald 
Alexander  to  take  a  seat  with  him  in  his  carriage  for  a  few 
days'  tour  through  New  Jersey,  to  attend  Bible  Society 
meetings.  Dr.  Alexander  told  me  that  Dr.  Livingston 
addressed  every  one  he  had  the  opportunity  to  speak  to, 
on  the  subject  of  religion.  Even  the  hostler,  who  came 
out  to  water  the  horses,  was  sure  to  receive  some  word  of 
admonition  or  counsel.  This  was  a  gift  which  Dr.  Alex- 
ander appreciated,  but  did  not  possess.  During  the  entire 
six  weeks'  journey  I  made  with  him  through  Virginia  in 


&T.  14.]  REMOVAL   TO  PRINCETON.  17 

1816, 1  never,  except  once,  heard  him  make  such  a  personal 
address  to  any  one.  The  exception  did  not  amount  to 
much.  The  stage  had  stopped  for  a  few  moments  at 
Charlestown  in  the  valley,  and  the  driver,  standing  by  the 
pump,  called  out  to  a  companion,  whom  he  saw  going  to- 
wards an  open  church,  "  Take  care,  don't  go  there,  you 
may  get  converted."  Dr.  Alexander  said  to  him,  "  Do  you 
think  that  would  hurt  him  ?"  Yet,  Dr.  Alexander,  in  the 
opinion  of  all  who  knew  him,  was  second  to  no  one  in.  piety 
and  zeal. 

The  only  one  of  my  school-mates  at  Somerville  with 
whom  I  was  associated  in  after  life  was  the  Rev.  Peter 
Studdiford.  During  his  whole  ministerial  life,  he  was  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Lambertville,  New  Jersey. 
That  church  rose  under  his  care  from  a  mere  handful,  to 
being  one  of  the  largest  in  the  Synod.  Dr. '  Studdiford, 
was  distinguished  for  learning,  wisdom  and  goodness  in  the 
most  comprehensive  sense  of  that  word. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1812  my  brother  and  myself 
removed  to  Princeton.  In  order  to  make  a  home  for  us  our 
mother  had  removed  from  Philadelphia  and  rented  a  small 
frame  house  in  Witherspoon  streetjj  which  runs  directly 
north,  starting  in  front  of  the  College.  The  house  is  still 
standing,  next  door  to  the  old  session-house,  since  the 
parochial  school. 

In  order  to  aid  in  meeting  her  expenses  mother  received 
into  her  family  as  boarders  several  boys  preparing  for  Col- 
lege, all  of  whom  were  either  relations  or  connections. j  Our 
cousin,  Alexander  Hodgdon,  of  Philadelphia,  Nicholas  Bay- 
ard, son  of  our  cousin,  Dr.  Nicholas  Bayard,  of  Savannah, 
Georgia,  and  two  young  Master  Wards,  step-sons  of  Dr. 
Nicholas  Bayard  through  his  second  marriage.  These 
young  men  were  the  half-brothers  of  Jane  and  Margaret 
Bayard,  the  former  of  whom  married  the  Rev,  Dr.  Leighton 
Wilson,  and  spent  seventeen  years  as  a  missionary  with  her 
distinguished  husband  in  western  Africa.  After  that  pro- 
2 


1 8  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1812. 

tracted  service  she  returned  to  this  country  in  as  perfect 
health  as  any  of  her  contemporaries  who  had  remained  at 
home.  A  year  or  two  after  her  return  she  said  to  me  that 
she  still  hankered  after  Africa.  Her  sister  Margaret  mar- 
ried the  Rev.  Dr.  Eckart,  and  went  with  him  as  a  mission- 
ary to  Ceylon,  and  remained  there  ten  years,  until  her 
broken  health  compelled  their  return.  There  was  no  physi- 
cian resident  at  their  station,  and  as  cholera  ofter  prevailed 
among  the  natives,  Dr.  Eckart  told  me  he  always  kept  on 
hand  a  bottle  containing  a  mixture  of  calomel  and  opium, 
and  when  called  to  a  sufferer,  uniformly  administered  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  the  combined  powder.  If  rejected,  he  repeated 
the  dose.  If  retained,  a  cure  almost  always  followed. 

My  brother  entered  the  College  in  May,  1812,  sopho- 
more half-advanced.  I  entered  the  Academy,  then  taught 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Fyler,  who  was  afterwards  the  head  of  a 
prosperous  classical  school  in  Trenton.  The  Princeton 
Academy  then  stood  between  the  church  and  the  house  of 
the  President  of  the  College,  [it  was  during  the  same  season 
that  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  was  founded,  and  Dr. 
Archibald  Alexander  was  inaugurated  its  first  Professor.' 
That  important  service  was  performed  in  the  old  Presbyter- 
ian church,  which  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  First 
Church,  August  12,  1812.  I  can  well  remember,  then  a 
boy  of  fourteen,  lying  at  length  on  the  rail  of  the  gallery 
listening  to  the  doctor's  inaugural  address  and  watching  the 
ceremony  of  investiture. 

One  day,  during  the  same  summer,  the  school- room  door 
being  opened,  Dr.  Alexander  walked  in.  He  found  me 
stammering  over  a  verse  in  the  Greek  Testament.  The 
process  seemed  to  amuse  the  old  gentleman  (just  forty — 
old  to  a  boy).  He  asked  me  what  marec  was  derived  from. 
I  could  not  tell  him.  Mr.  Fyler  apologized  for  me  by  say- 
ing I  had  been  studying  Greek  only  a  month  or  six  weeks. 
This  occurrence  was  the  first  thread  of  the  cord  which  bound 
me  to  Dr.  Alexander — a  cord  never  brokeif.  He  never 


^ET.  14.]  FRIENDSHIP  OF  DR.  ALEXANDER.  \  g 

failed  to  notice  me  when  I  crossed  his  path.  Frequently  he 
would  take  me  with  him  in  his  gig,  when  he  went  out  into 
the  country  to  preach.  On  one  occasion  he  took  me  to 
Flemington,  a  court  town  fifteen  or  sixteen  miles  north 
of  Princeton.  I  was  astonished  at  the  knowledge  he  dis- 
played of  the  country  through  which  we  passed.  He  knew 
the  character  of  the  soil  in  every  neighborhood;  the  charac- 
ter of  the  people,  whether  of  Dutch  or  English  origin;  the 
name  of  all  the  streams,  where  they  rose  and  where  they 
emptied.  We  were  hospitably  entertained,  from  Saturday 
to  Monday,  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Samuel  S.  Southard,  then 
a  rising  young  lawyer,  afterwards  United  States  Senator 
and  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  In  my  young  days,  he  and  the 
Hon.  Theodore  Frelinghuysen  were  the  two  most  popular 
men  in  New  Jersey.  Mr.  Southard  was  a  handsome  man, 
and  very  cordial  in  his  manners.  He  had  the  happy  tact 
of  making  every  man  he  met  feel  that  he  was  glad  to  see 
him,  and  really  enjoyed  his  society.  As  he  liked  every- 
body, everybody  liked  him. 

Some  years  afterward  (in  1825)  during  a  meeting  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  Chief  Justice  Kirk- 
patrick  was  staying  with  me,  and  Mr.  Southard,  then  Sec- 
retary of  the  Navy,  called  to  see  him,  and  gave  him  a  glow- 
ing account  of  the  rapidity  with  which  he  had  fitted  out 
the  frigate  Brandy  wine  to  take  Gen.  Lafayette  back  to 
Europe.  When  he  had  finished  the  Chief  Justice  turned 
towards  him  and  said,  "  Now,  Mr.  Southard,  if  any  man 
should  ask  you  which  end  of  a  ship  goes  first,  could  you 
tell  him?"  This  was  hardly  fair  in  the  old  judge;  as  it  is 
not  expected  that  a  Secretary  of  the  Navy  should  be  an  ex- 
pert in  naval  architecture. 


CHAPTER  II. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   CONTINUED. 

FROM  HIS  ENTERING  THE  COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY,  SEPTEMBER, 
1 8 1 2,  TO  HIS  GRADUATION,  SEPTEMBER,   1815. 


PROFESSION   OF  RELIGION— REVIVAL— CLASSMATES  AND   FRIENDS. 

THE  College  of  New  Jersey  was  founded  in  the  middle 
of  the  last  century  by  Presbyterian  ministers  and  laymen, 
and  in  large  part  by  those  belonging  to  the  New  Light 
party,  the  especial  friends  of  revivals  and  earnest,  evangeli- 
cal piety.  Their  object,  as  expressed  in  the  public  declara- 
tions of  all  the  parties  concerned  in  its  foundation,  includ- 
ing Governor  Belcher  himself,  was  to  promote  the  cultiva- 
tion of  religion,  and  of  a  liberal  education  in  common, 
and  especially  to  provide  an  educated  ministry  for  the 
colonies.  It  was  founded  in  1747,  in  Elizabeth,  New 
Jersey;  removed  in  1748  to  Newark;  and  in  1756  per- 
manently established  at  Princeton,  in  buildings  then 
recently  erected  for  its  use.  For  many  years  the  instruc- 
tion was  in  the  hands  of  the  President,  always  one  of  the 
most  eminent  ministers  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  on  the 
continent,  assisted  by  two,  or,  at  most,  three  tutors,  who 
were  young  men,  changing  every  few  years.  For  the  first 
fifty  years  there  were  never  more  than  two  professors  at  a 
time,  in  addition  to  the  above,  and  often  only  one,  and 
sometimes  not  one. 

From  the  first  it  had  been  the  design  of  the  Trustees  to 
provide  for  the  instruction  of  a  Theological  class.     For  this 
2Q 


JET.  I4-]  ENTERS  COLLEGE.  2 1 

purpose  the  Rev.  John  Blair,  of  Fagg's  Manor,  Pa.,  held 
the  position  of  Professor  of  Theology,  from  1767  to  1769, 
and  the  Rev.  Henry  Kollock,  D.  D.,  afterwards  the  elo- 
quent preacher  at  Savannah,  Georgia,  held  the  position 
from  1803  to  1806.  In  the  intervals  this  function  devolved 
on  the  President  at  the  time  in  office.  After  the  resigna- 
tion of  Professor  Kollock,  an  effort  was  made  to  raise  a  per- 
manent endowment  for  the  support  of  the  Vice-President, 
who  was  also  to  be  Professor  of  Theology.  But  in  order 
to  secure  the  location  in  Princeton  of  the  first  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  then  in  contempla- 
tion, the  Trustees  agreed  that  the  College  should  withdraw 
from  the  work  of  theological  instruction  as  a  preparation 
for  the  ministerial  profession.  The  Presidents,  up  to  the 
accession  of  Dr.  Green,  had  been  Jonathan  Dickinson, 
Aaron  Burr,  Jonathan  Edwards,  Samuel  Davies,  Samuel 
Finley,  John  Witherspoon,  and  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith. 

I  entered  the  Sophomore  Class,  September,  1812,  a  date 
which  marks  a  crisis  in  the  history  of  Princeton.  The 
Theological  Seminary  had  just  been  founded,  and  Dr.  Alex- 
ander, the  first  Professor,  inaugurated  August  1 2th,  and  Dr. 
Ashbel  Green,  the  pastor  and  friend  of  my  parents,  now 
(September  29th,)  entered  upon  the  office  of  President  of 
the  College.  The  faculty  that  year  consisted  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Ashbel  Green,  President ;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Slack,  Vice  Presi- 
dent and  Professor  of  Mathematics,  Natural  Philosophy  and 
Chemistry ;  Rev.  Philip  Lindsley,  Senior  Tutor,  and  Mr.  J. 
Flavel  Clark,  afterwards  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
Flemington,  New  Jersey,  Junior  Tutor. 

I  was  examined  for  admission  by  Mr.  John  Bergen,  one 
of  the  retiring  tutors.  In  1842  I  went  to  Philadelphia  to 
attend  a  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly.  As  I  got  out 
of  the  cars,  there  was  a  tall  gentleman  walking  on  the  plat- 
form, who  stopped  when  he  saw  me,  and  looking  down  on 
me,  said,  "  I  ought  to  know  you.  My  name  is  Bergen." 
"  A  former  tutor  in  Princeton  College  ?"  I  asked.  "  Yes," 


2  2  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1812. 

he  replied.  "  Then  you  examined  me  for  admission  into 
College,  Sophomore,  1812."  "  Well,  I  have  never  seen  you 
since.  What  is  your  name  ?"  "  Hodge."  "  Where  do  you 
live  ?"  "Princeton."  "You  don't  tell  me  you  are  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Hodge,  of  Princeton?"  "Yes,  I  am."  Turning  on  his 
heel,  he  exclaimed,  "  O  !  Pshaw  !  I  thought  he  was  an  old 
man."  The  poor  man  felt  that  he  had  been  defrauded. 

In  1 86 1  Dr.  Bergen  and  myself  were  again  members  of 
the  General  Assembly.  In  that  year  the  celebrated  Spring 
resolutions  were  passed.  These  resolutions  called  upon  all 
Presbyterians,  ministers  and  churches  subject  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  to  support  the  General  Government  in  the 
civil  war  which  had  then  commenced.  The  Northern  and 
Southern  Presbyterians  then  constituted  one  body.  It  was 
evidently  proper  to  exhort  the  churches  in  the  non-seceding 
states  to  support  the  government,  for  that  was  an  acknow- 
ledged moral  duty.  But  to  address  the  same  injunction  to 
Southern  Presbyterians,  was  to  assume  that  their  allegiance 
was  primarily  due  to  the  General  Government  and  not  to 
their  respective  States ;  and  that  was  to  assume  that  the 
United  States  constituted  a  nation  and  not  a  confederacy ; 
and  that  assumed  a  given  interpretation  of  the  constitution. 
As  that  was  a  political  question,  a  large  minority  of  the 
Assembly,  as  loyal  as  the  majority,  deemed  that  no  Church- 
court  had  a  right  to  decide  it.  Dr.  Spring's  resolutions, 
when  first  introduced,  were  promptly  laid  on  the  table  by  a 
decisive  vote.  But  the  next  morning,  there  was  such  a 
burst  of  indignation  from  the  secular  press  of  Philadelphia, 
and 'such  a  shower  of  threatening  telegrams  fell  upon  the 
members,  that  the  resolutions  were  taken  up  and  ultimately 
passed.  During  the  discussion,  Dr.  Bergen  was  in  great 
trouble.  He  came  to  me  repeatedly,  and  asked,  "What 
shall  I  do  ?  I  am  opposed  to  these  resolutions,  but  if  I  vote 
against  them,  I  can  never  go  home."  I  told  him  I  was 
very  sorry,  but  I  could  not  help  him.  It  was  easy  for  me 
to  act,  as  I  had  nothing  to  fear  from  giving  a  negative  vote. 


JET.  15.]  DR.   GREEN.  23 

When  his  name  was  called  in  taking  the  final  vote,  he  rose 
and  said,  "  Mr.  Moderator,  I  want  to  say  no,  but  I  must 
say  yes."  That  saved  him.  This  was  all  the  personal 
intercourse  I  ever  had  with  Dr.  Bergen.  I  am,  therefore, 
surprised  at  the  glow  of  kindly  feeling  of  which  I  am  con- 
scious whenever  I  hear  his  name  mentioned. 

Dr.  Green  conducted  the  instruction  in  the  Biblical  De- 
partment, in  Belles-Lettres,  Moral  Philosophy  and  Logic. 
We  regularly  had  lessons  in  the  Bible.  On  one  occasion, 
while  reciting  on  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  Dr.  Green  asked 
me:  "  Was  St.  Paul  ever  at  Malta?"  I  replied:  "Yes,  sir, 
he  touched  there  on  his  voyage  to  Rome."  "  Pretty  hard 
touch,"  whispered  Johns  (Rt.  Rev.  John  Johns,  Bishop  of 
Virginia),  who  as  usual  was  sitting  next  to  me.  Of  course, 
the  Apostle's  shipwreck  on  that  island  flashed  on  my 
memory;  and  of  course  I  laughed,  and  of  course  I  was 
reproved.  That  was  the  kind  of  trouble  Johns  was  always 
getting  me  into.  We  were  also  required  to  commit  the 
Shorter  Catechism  to  memory  in  Latin.  The  Episcopal 
students  were  allowed  to  study  their  own  catechism.  As 
that  is  shorter  than  the  Westminster,  many  Presbyterians 
passed  themselves  off  for  the  time  being  as  Episcopalians. 
The  doctor,  to  be  even  with  them,  required  all  who  took 
the  Episcopal  Catechism,  to  prepare  also  for  examination 
the  Thirty-nine  Articles.  We  attended  worship  every  Sab- 
bath morning  in  the  Chapel.  Dr.  Green  also  lectured  every 
Thursday  evening  in  one  of  the  College  recitation  rooms. 
These  lectures  were  very  instructive,  and  were  attended  by 
a  crowded  audience. 

In  the  department  of  Belles-Lettres,  we  studied  Blair's 
Lectures;  in  Moral  Philosophy,  Witherspoon's  Lectures; 
and  in  Logic,  Andrew's  Logic — a  little  book  about  as  large 
as  an  Almanac,  which  we  got  through  in  four  recitations. 
I  am  ashamed  to  say  that  this  is  the  only  book  on  Logic  I 
ever  read.  Some  years  ago  a  very  intelligent  Catholic 
priest  came  to  Princeton  (to  the  village,  not  to  the  Semi- 


24  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1813. 

nary),  to  spend  a  few  months  in  retirement  and  study.  His 
faith  in  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  Romanism  having  been 
shaken,  to  avoid  trouble,  he  came  first  to  America,  and  then 
to  Princeton,  to  seclude  himself  while  engaged  in  investi- 
gating and  settling  the  questions  involved.  I  think  I  never 
saw  such  concentration  and  power  as  he  exhibited  for  two 
or  three  months  in  examining  the  controversy  between  Pro- 
testants and  Romanists.  He  never  revealed  his  conclusion. 
I  asked  him  many  questions  as  to  the  method  of  instruc- 
tion observed  in  Maynooth,  where  he  had  been  educated. 
I  asked  particularly  what  was  the  effect  of  the  study  of  the 
so-called  "  Moral  Theology,"  designed  to  prepare  a  priest 
for  the  duties  of  a  confessor.  He  answered :  "  Entirely  to 
destroy  the  moral  sense."  That  was  precisely  the  answer 
I  expected,  which  is  no  disparagement  of  moral  philosophy 
as  a  science,  but  only  of  the  methods  at  Maynooth.  So  it 
is  no  disparagement  to  logic  as  a  science  or  an  art,  to  say, 
that  the  excessive  study  how  to  reason  often  impairs  the 
ability  to  reason.  The  best  way  to  make  a  man  a  good 
carpenter  is  not  to  confine  his  attention  to  his  tools,  but  to 
set  him  to  work.  So,  as  has  often  been  said,  the  best  way 
to  make  a  logician  is  to  set  him  to  study  Euclid,  or,  as  any 
old  student  of  Princeton  Seminary  would  say,  set  him  to 
study  Turrettin. 

Our  instructor  in  Greek  was  Rev.  Philip  Lindsley.  He 
graduated  at  the  College  of  New  Jersey  in  1804,  in  the  class 
with  the  Hon.  Theodore  Frelinghuysen,  the  Hon.  Joseph 
R.  Ingersoll,  and  the  Hon.  Samuel  L.  Southard.  Mr.  South- 
ard continued  his  intimate  friend  through  life.  During  our 
first  term  Mr.  Lindsley  was  senior  tutor.  In  the  spring  of 
1813  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Languages ;  afterwards  he 
was  chosen  Vice-President ;  and  on  the  resignation  of  Dr. 
Green,  in  1822,  he  was  elected  President  of  the  College. 
This  office  he  declined  on  impulse.  He  disliked  some  of 
the  Trustees  very  much;  and  when  his  election  was  an- 
nounced to  him,  having  them  in  his  mind,  he  promptly 


JET.  15.]  PROFESSOR  LINDSLEY.  25 

declined.  I  called  to  see  him  the  next  morning,  and  found 
him  walking  up  and  down  his  study  a  good  deal  perturbed. 
He  exclaimed :  "  If  Sam  Southard  (one  of  the  Trustees)  had 
been  here,  I  would  now  be  President  of  Princeton  College." 
He  was  also  offered  the  Presidency  of  Dickinson  College, 
Pennsylvania,  of  Transylvania  University,  Kentucky,  and  of 
several  other  educational  institutions,  and  finally  accepted 
that  of  the  University  of  Tennessee,  at  Nashville,  where  he 
spent  most  of  the  remaining  active  part  of  his  life.  His 
works  have  been  collected  and  published  in  two  handsome 
8vo.  volumes  under  the  editorship  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Halsey 
of  Chicago. 

Prof.  Lindsley  was  very  popular  with  the  students.  He 
was  rather  above  the  medium  size,  erect  and  imposing  in  his 
carriage.  He  used  to  walk  up  and  down  the  lecture-room, 
while  hearing  our  recitations,  with  his  book  closed  in  his 
hands.  He  was  very  fond  of  paradox.  He  told  our  class 
that  we  would  find  that  one  of  the  best  preparations  for 
death  was  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Greek  grammar. 
This  was  his  way  of  telling  us  that  we  ought  to  do  our  duty. 
It  was  a  favorite  idea  of  his  that  civilization  reached  its 
highest  stage  before  the  deluge ;  that  the  arts  and  sciences 
have  never  since  reached  the  development  which  they 
attained  among  the  antediluvians.  He  was  a  very  frequent 
attendant  on  the  debating  society  held  years  ago  every 
Friday  evening,  in  the  Seminary,  under  the  presidency  of 
professors.  He  was  sure  to  take  the  wrong  side  ;  Popery 
against  Protestantism  ;  heresy  against  orthodoxy.  He  was 
very  kind  to  me.  I  had  a  crooked  tongue,  and  had  been 
studying  Greek  only  six  months  before  entering  the  Sopho- 
more class,  while  some  of  my  class-mates  had  been  teaching 
Greek  two  years  before  coming  to  College.  But  the  profes- 
sor did  all  he  could  for  me,  pushing  me  up  as  high  as  his 
conscience  would  permit.  He  and  old  Dr.  Slack  succeeded 
at  last  in  getting  me  up  very  near  the  top.  On  several 
occasions  in  after  life,  I  experienced  his  kindness.  The  last 


26  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1813. 

time  I  saw  him  was  during  the  sessions  of  the  General 
Assembly  in  Buffalo,  in  1854.  I  have  always  cherished  his 
memory  with  affectionate  regard. 

.  When  I  entered  College  the  faculty  consisted  of  the 
President,  one  professor  and  two  tutors.  Now  it  has  a 
corps  of  twenty-eight  or  thirty  instructors.  The  depart- 
ments then  filled  by  one  professor,  are  now  distributed 
among  eight. 

Dr.  Green  says,  in  his  autobiography,*  that  when  he 
entered  on  his  duties  as  president,  "The  several  members  of 
the  faculty  before  the  expiration  of  the  vacation  met  in  my 
study,  and  at  my  instance  we  agreed  to  set  apart  a  day  of 
special  prayer,  in  view  of  the  duties  before  us.  We  prayed 
once  together,  and  then  the  several  members  spent  the  day 
in  private  prayer."  This  was  the  spirit  in  which  his  admin- 
istration was  begun  and  continued  to  the  end.  The  reli- 
gious culture  of  the  students  was  always  uppermost  in  his 
mind.  He  preached  regularly  in  the  chapel  on  Sunday 
morning,  introduced  the  regular  study  of  the  Bible,  and 
lectured  every  Tuesday  evening.  When  Dr.  Miller  came 
to  Princeton,  in  the  summer  of  1813,  he,  with  Dr.  Alex- 
ander and  Dr.  Green,  preached  in  succession  in  the  chapel 
to  the  students  of  the  College  and  Seminary,  the  latter  at 
that  time  being  very  few  in  number.  Dr.  Alexander  soon 
began  to  preach  regularly  every  Sunday  evening,  at  first  in 
the  junior  recitation  room,  the  southern  half  of  the  base- 
ment of  the  Old  Library  building,  (now  Treasurer's  Office), 
which  is  still  standing.  That  room  is  to  this  day  sacred  in 
the  eyes  of  the  old  students  of  the  College.  It  was  then, 
and  for  forty  years  afterwards,  the  birth-place  of  many  souls. 
We  were  thus  brought  under  the  influence  of  a  man,  who, 
as  an  'experimental'  preacher  was  unequalled  and  unap- 
proached.  It  was  said  of  him,  that  while  most  other  minis- 
ters preached  about  religion,  he  preached  religion.  He 

*  The  Life  of  Rev.  Ashbel  Green,  D.  D.,  written  by  himself  and  prepared  for 
the  press  by  Rev.  Joseph  Jones,  D.  D. 


^ET.  15.]  DR.  ALEXANDER'S  PREACHING.  2? 

recognized  the  fact  that  the  religious  and  moral  elements  of 
our  nature  are  universal  and  indestructible ;  and  that  these 
elements,  in  Christian  countries  at  least,  are  so  developed 
that  every  man  knows  that  there  is  a  God  on  whom  he  is 
dependent,  and  to  whom  he  is  responsible ;  that  he  is  a 
sinner  and  deserves  to  be  punished  ;  and  that  punishment 
is  inevitable.  He  is  therefore,  all  his  life,  through  fear  of 
death,  subject  to  bondage.  (Heb.  2  :  15).  No  matter  how 
reckless  and  hardened  the  wicked  may  become,  they  can 
never  free  themselves  from  their  fetters ;  and,  at  times,  the 
horror  of  great  darkness  falls  upon  them,  and  they  wish 
they  had  never  been  born.  Dr.  Alexander  revealed  such 
men  to  themselves ;  showed  them  how  vain  it  was  to 
struggle  against  the  laws  of  nature  ;  that  conscience  was 
their  master,  and  could  neither  be  silenced  nor  sophisticated; 
that  all  their  efforts  to  make  themselves  infidels  were  abor- 
tive ;  that  no  devotion  to  the  world,  that  no  degradation  in 
vice  can  obliterate  the  conviction  that  those  who  commit 
sin  are  doomed  to  the  second  death ;  that  however  calm 
may  be  the  surface,  there  is  always  the  rumbling  of  an 
earthquake  underneath — "a  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment, 
and  fiery  indignation,  which  shall  devour  the  adversaries."" 
There  was  a  noted  man  at  this  time  in  Princeton,  who  said, 
"  He  was  sure  Dr.  Alexander  must  have  been  very  wicked 
in  his  youth,  or  he  could  not  know  so  well  how  wicked 
men  felt." 

In  like  manner  he  would  detail  the  experience  of  those 
under  the  conviction  of  sin ;  show  how  such  convictions 
often  came  to  nothing ;  what  was  essential,  and  what  inci- 
dental and  variable  in  such  experiences.  He  would  take 
the  serious  inquirer  by  the  hand,  and  tell  him  all  about 
himself,  leading  him  along  from  point  to  point,  until  the 
inquirer  was  left  behind,  and  could  do  nothing  but  sit  and 
weep.  He  knew  that  he  was  a  sinner,  that  he  needed  sal- 
vation, that  he  could  not  save  himself,  but  when  told  to 
come  to  Christ,  he  knew  not  what  to  do.  Often,  going  to 


28  A  UTOBIO  GRAPHY.  [1813. 

his  room,  he  would  fall  on  his  knees  and  call  on  his  Saviour, 
and  ask,  "Is  this  coming?"  or  "Is  this  coming?"  He 
never  could  understand  what  it  was  until  it  was  done,  [it 
was  easy  to  tell  him  that  faith  is  simply  letting  go  all  other 
confidences  and  falling  trustfully  into  the  Saviour's  arms, 
but  no  one  knows  what  seeing  is  until  he  sees,  or  what 
believing  is  until  he  believes.; 

So  also  more  advanced  Christians,  whether  doubting, 
tempted,  desponding  or  rejoicing,  were  all  subject  to  the 
same  self-revealing  process,  all  edified  and  strengthened. 
Those  were  memorable  days. 

[His  brother,  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Hodge,  says:  "  In  the  spring 
of  1813,  the  boys,  our  cousins,  who  had  become  our 
mother's  boarders  a  year  before,  having  either  left  town,  or 
removed  their  lodgings  to  the  college  building,  Mrs.  Dr. 
Bache,  of  Philadelphia,  and  her  children,  became  inmates 
in  our  family.  Dr.  William  Bache,  then  deceased,  was 
a  grandson  of  the  celebrated  Benjamin  Franklin.  Mrs. 
Bache,  his  widow,  was  the  sister  of  Dr.  Caspar  Wistar, 
Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  President  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society.  His 
house  had  become  the  centre  of  the  literary  and  scientific 
society  of  Philadelphia.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  receiving 
his  friends  to  a  frugal  entertainment  every  Saturday  even- 
ing. To  these  re-unions,  the  most  distinguished  foreign 
visitors  in  the  city  brought  introductions,  and  the  most  in- 
tellectual of  the  professional  residents  gathered.  And  they 
have  been  continued,  with  their  essential  characteristics 
unchanged  to  the  present  time,  in  the  re-unions  of  what  has 
ever  since  been  known  as  the  Wistar  Club.  Mrs.  Bache,  a 
very  superior  and  high-toned  woman,  had,  previous  to  her 
marriage,  kept  house  for  her  brother  for  several  years,  dur- 
ing which  time,  she  with  her  friend  Miss  Eddy,  afterwards, 
Mrs.  Dr.  Hosack  of  New  York,  had  the  great  pleasure 
and  advantage  of  attending  these  remarkable  Saturday 
evening  meetings.  Her  children,  who  now  entered  our 


ALT:.  1 6.]        HIS  BROTHER  HUGH'S  GRADUATION.  29 

family,  were  Catharine,  the  youngest,  a  girl  then  of  seven 
or  eight,  Benjamin  Franklin,  since  the  head  of  the  Phar- 
maceutical Department  of  the  United  States  Navy,  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  and  Sarah,  the  eldest,  then  a  girl  of  fourteen 
years  of  age,  well-grown,  in  blooming  health,  handsome, 
full  of  imagination,  and  exceedingly  enthusiastic,  uncon- 
scious of  self  and  absorbed  in  whatever  claimed  her  atten- 
tion; a  most  agreeable  companion.  It  was  no  wonder, 
therefore,  that  she  soon  won  the  love  of  my  brother 
Charles,  young  as  he  was,  an  experience  which  nine  years 
afterwards,  in  1822,  resulted  in  their  marriage."]  ^ 

My  brother  Hugh  graduated  from  College  in  the  fall  of 
1814,  one  of  the  four  to  whom  the  first  honor  was  assigned. 
The  commencement  of  that  year  was  marked  by  an  event 
of  great  interest.  It  occurred  towards  the  close  of  the  war 
of  1812  with  the  British,  and  soon  after  the  brilliant  victo- 
ries of  Lundy's  Lane  and  Chippewa.  Major-General  Win- 
field  Scott,  the  hero  of  those  battles,  then  Colonel,  and 
Brigadier-General  Scott,  having  been  severely  wounded  in 
one  of  his  shoulders,  was  making  slow  journeys  from  the 
Lakes  to  his  home,  in  Virginia.  He  arrived  in  Princeton 
after  the  exercises  began,  and,  though  weak  and  emaciated, 
he  accepted  an  invitation  to  enter  the  Church  and  take  a  seat 
on  the  stage  with  the  President  and  Trustees  of  the  College. 
He  was  received  with  every  possible  demonstration  of  en- 
thusiasm. The  degrees  having  been  conferred,  Bloomfield 
Mcllvaine,  brother  of  Charles  Pettit  Mcllvaine,  afterwards 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Bishop  of  Ohio,  delivered  the 
valedictory.  After  having  delivered  the  valedictory  he  had 
prepared  to  the  President,  Trustees,  class-mates,  and  un- 
der-graduates,  he  suddenly  turned  to  General  Scott,  and 
with  astonishing  facility  of  extemporaneous  conception  and 
expression,  he  delivered  an  eloquent  and  moving  eulo- 
gium.  The  General  afterwards  confessed  that  he  "  would 
not  have  been  more  taken  by  surprise  if  he  had  been 
suddenly  attacked  by  a  whole  regiment  of  Britishers." 


3O  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1815. 

He  attempted  to  rise  more  than  once,  and  finally  was 
forced,  by  his  emotions  and  physical  weakness,  to  remain 
quiescent.  He  afterwards  confessed  to  my  brother  that "  few 
attentions  had  ever  given  him  so  much,  and  so  lasting  plea- 
sure." 

[On  January  I3th,  1815,  Charles  Hodge  and  his  friend, 
Kensey  John  Van  Dyke,  of  the  class  below  him,  made  a 
public  confession  of  their  faith  in  Christ  by  joining  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Princeton,  of  which  the  Rev.  Wm. 
C.  Schenck  was  the  pastor.  The  venerable  Dr.  John  Mac- 
lean, who  survives  his  friends,  says  he  well  remembers  the 
Saturday  when  he  was  startled  in  the  street  by  Edward 
Allen  rushing  to  him  with  the  abrupt  announcement  that 
"  Hodge  had  enlisted — "  for  the  war  with  Britain  had  not 
yet  closed,  and  a  sergeant  with  a  drummer  was  in  the  vil- 
lage endeavoring  to  enlist  recruits.  "  Is  it  possible,"  he 
exclaimed,  "  that  Hodge  has  enlisted?"  "  Yes,  he  has  en- 
listed under  the  banner  of  King  Jesus ! "  Dr.  Maclean 
thinks  that  Lthis  public  stand  taken  by  these  young  men, 
among  the  youngest  in  the  College,  contributed  much  to 
bring  to  a  crisis  *  that  wonderful  revival  of  religion  which 
signalized  the  first  half  of  1815,  one  of  the  most  memorable 
in  the  whole  history  of  the  town.] 

It  came  not  with  observation.  There  was  only  a  gradual 
change  in  the  spirit  of  the  College,  and  state  of  mind  of  the 
students — a  change  from  indifference  to  earnestness,  from  ne- 
glect or  perfunctory  performance  of  religious  duties,  to  fre- 
quent crowded  and  solemn  attendance  on  all  meetings  for 
prayer  and  instruction.  Personal  religion — the  salvation  of 
the  soul  became  the  absorbing  subject  of  attention^  "  The  di- 
vine influence,"  said  Dr.  Green,  in  his  report  to  the  Trustees, 
"  seemed  to  descend  like  the  silent  dew  of  heaven,  and  in 
about  four  weeks  there  were  very  few  individuals  in  the 
College  edifice  who  were  not  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense 

*  The  same  is  asserted  by  Dr.  Green  in  "  Report  to  the  Trustees  on  the  Revi- 
val" 


JET.  17.]  HIS  PROFESSION  OF  RELIGION.  31 

of  the  importance  of  spiritual  and  eternal  things.  There 
was  scarcely  a  room ;  perhaps  not  one ;  which  was  not  a 
place  of  earnest,  secret  devotion." 

Hymns,  then,  as  always,  were  very  efficacious.  Luther's 
hymns,  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  were  to  the  German 
nation  what  the  trumpet  and  the  bugle  are  to  the  army. 
"  Ein'  feste  Burg  "  is  still  the  battle-song  of  the  German 
soldier.  There  are  some  hymns  which  did  good  service  in 
my  young  days,  which  have  since  lost  favor.  "  Tis  a  point 
I  long  to  know,"  "  Come,  humble  sinner,  in  whose  breast," 
are  now  regarded  as  too  hypothetical.  "  I  can  but  perish 
if  I  go."  There  is  no  if  in  the  case.  However  this  may 
be  in  logic,  it  should  be  remembered  that  there  is  a  faith 
which  saves,  which  cannot  recognize,  much  less  avow  it- 
self. Many  get  to  heaven  who  can  only  say,  "  Lord,  help 
my  unbelief;  "  for  that  is  a  cry  of  faith. 

HIS  MOTHER  TO  HIS  BROTHER  HUGH. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  23,  1815. 

My  Dear  Hugh  : — The  last  fortnight  has  been  productive  of  events 
that  have  excited  much  interest,  rumors  of  which  no  doubt  reached 
you ;  but  as  rumors  are  seldom  correct,  I  feel  desirous  of  giving  you 
a  plain  statement.  An  attention  to  religious  duties,  you  know,  has 
ever  been  a  leading  feature  in  the  character  of  Charles,  which  has 
gradually  strengthened  with  his  years.  The  services  of  the  Sunday 
previous  to  the  fast  determined  him  to  make  a  public  profession1  of 
them  on  the  approaching  sacrament,  to  which  he  was  urged  by  his 
friend  Biggs,  and  joined  by  Van  Dyke.  On  Wednesday  evening, 
C ,  D ,  J and  B supped  at  Folet's  (tavern)  and  gam- 
bled to  a  late  hour.  The  faculty  had  information  of  it,  and  were 
waiting  their  return.  Folet,  alarmed  for  his  own  interest,  at  three  in 
the  morning,  refused  them  more  lights,  and  sent  to  give  notice  to 
those  who  were  already  acquainted  with  the  circumstances.  The 

consequence  was  they  were  all  dismissed  on  Friday.     J called  to 

take  leave  of  us,  humbled  to  the  dust  with  the  sense  of  his  miscon- 
duct, and  his  heart  overflowing  with  gratitude  to  Dr.  Green  for  the 
admonitions  and  kindness  with  which  the  sentence  had  been  given. 

On  Saturday  J came  again  and  requested  to  see  me.     He  caught 

my  hand  on  entering,  and  exclaimed  that  this  was  the  happiest  day 


32  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1815. 

of  his  life.  "  What,  sir,  are  you  reinstated  ?"  "  Oh,  no,  madam,  that 
is  of  little  moment  indeed  at  present.  Religion  has  complete  posses- 
sion of  my  mind.  After  a  night  of  agony,  under  the  deepest  convic- 
tions of  my  guilt,  the  morning  brought  some  ray  of  comfort.  I  sent 
for  Biggs.  He  spake  peace  to  my  soul.  I  have  been  to  Dr.  Green, 
who  received  me  with  the  tenderness  of  a  parent,  pointed  out  my 
path,  and  encourages  me  to  persevere  by  the  assurance  of  future  fa- 
vor. To  your  dear  Charles  I  am  indebted  for  these  impressions.  In 
our  walks  last  summer  religion  was  often  the  theme,  and  though  I 
felt  nothing  at  the  time,  yet  now  they  return  forcibly  upon  the  mind. 
I  am  permitted  to  stay  some  days  longer,  and  have  been  in  College 
conversing  with  my  friends,  I  think,  with  some  effect." 

The  next  day  the  sacrament  was  administered.  Though  it  is  said 
two  or  three  students  ridiculed  those  that  had  joined  the  Church,  this 
is  very  doubtful.  But  on  Monday  a  great  change  took  place  in  Col- 
lege. A  general  seriousness  was  observed  in  the  Refectory.  The 
rooms  of  Biggs,  Baker  and  others  were  filled  with  students  soliciting 
information  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  getting  books.  In  the 
evening,  while  the  Whig  Society  held  their  meeting,  twenty  Clios 
met  in  Allen's  room  to  pray.  On  Tuesday  the  call  for  instruction 
was  so  general  that  Dr.  Green  proposed  to  give  a  lecture  to  those 
who  chose  to  attend.  The  Senior  lecture-room  was  full,  and  there 
have  been  prayer-meetings  every  evening.'  Blatchford  and  others  of 
the  divinity  students  spend  a  great  deal  of  time  in  College,  and  the 
youths  apply  to  either  or  all  the  professors  indiscriminately.  Johns, 
Mcllvaine,  Armstrong,  Newbold,  Smith,  Rodgers,  Ogden,  Stewart, 
Clarke,  Henry  of  Albany,  are  among  those  most  seriously  im- 
pressed, Lyttleton  and  Benjamin  among  those  more  lightly  touched. 
No  doubt  there  is  much  sympathy  in  the  business,  and  as  they  in- 
stinctively followed  each  other  last  winter  in_jmischief,  they  are  led 
in  the  same  manner  this  season  to  good.  LBut  it  is  very  probable 
that  after  the  effervescence  subsides,  there  will  be  a  good  number 
who  will  experience  a  radical  change. 

[You  may  suppose  it  has  been  a  period  of  considerable  agitation 
with  me.  The  important  step  Charles  has  taken  occasions  much  so- 
licitude. He  was  so  young,  I  could  have  wished  it  had  been  deferred 
at  least  to  the  end  of  his  College  course.  But  you  know  his  impor- 
tunity, and  when  duty  and  feeling  urged  him  forward,  I  could  not 
throw  a  straw  in  the  way.  He  has  raised  expectations  which  I  fer- 
vently hope  may  be  realized^  On  Thursday  he  spoke  his  speech  on 
Conscience,  and  did  himself  justice '.*  Mr.  Davis  and  Henry,  two 

*  This  is  the  only  instance  to  be  found  in  her  correspondence  when  she  makes 
any  such  admission.  She  had  a  high  conception  of  Charles'  talents,  but  a  very 


yET.  17.]  HIS  PROFESSION  OF  RELIGION.  33 

divinity  students  of  superior  attainments  and  polished  manners,  pay 
him  flattering  attention.  They  no  doubt  count  upon  him  as  one  of 
their  number.  (This  revival,  as  it  is  called,  will  no  doubt  reach  the 
city  with  much  exaggeration./  I  write,  therefore,  to  give  you  a  plain 
statement  of  facts,  that  you  may  answer  explicitly  if  applied  to  for 
information.  As  I  should  be  extremely  sorry  that  any  one  should 
suppose  the  step  Charles  has  taken  was  in  consequence  of  a  sudden 
impulse  of  feeling,  you  will  be  enabled  to  rectify  any  such  error. 

Your  affectionate  mother, 

M.  HODGE. 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  February,  1815. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  would  indeed  be  most  inexcusable  should  I 
permit  an  opportunity,  so  direct  and  so  long  known  as  that  which  our 
dear  John  offers,  to  pass  unimproved.  I  hardly  know  how  to  part 
from  him,  even  for  a  week.  I  expect  to  meet  with  few  in  this  world 
who  will  love  me  as  ardently  and  constantly  as  he  does.  He,  Biggs 
and  Van  Dyke,  are  the  three  in  College  to  whom  I  feel  most  strongly 
attached,  and  from  whom  I  shall  hope  not  soon  to  be  separated.  I 
think  it  probable  we  shall  all  choose  the  same  profession.  Of  this  I 
am  not  certain.  John,  as  you  have  probably  heard  already,  is  one 
of  those  who  have  so  lately  experienced  the  most  desirable  of 
changes.  When  gay  and  thoughtless,  though  also  affectionate  and 
kind,  I  loved  him.  How  then  shall  I  feel  towards  him  when  we 
hope  to  be  enlisted  under  the  same  banner,  to  have  the  same  end  in 
life  and  the  same  hope  in  death.  The  step  which  your  brother  has 
taken,  accompanied  by  dear  Kinsey,  you  are  already  acquainted 
with.  And  why  not  my  dearest  brother  too?  iDh!  that  you,  that 
Atkinson,  that  all,  were  here  to  see  what  has  been  done !  for  I  can- 
not but  think  that  all  who  see  the  present  state  of  the  College  must 
also  feel  that  this  is  indeed  the  harvest,  the  accepted  time,  the  day 
of  salvation?  Oh !  my  brother !  though  it  is  only  your  little  Toby 
who  is  writing  to  you,  yet  he  loves  you  ;  he  knows  how  many  inesti- 
mable qualities  you  possess,  and  shudders  at  the  thought  of  your 

dissatisfied  estimate  of  his  diligence,  ambition,  or  power  of  concentrated  and  sus- 
tained effort.  Her  tendency  was  to  self- repression,  and  to  the  expectation  of  dis- 
appointment. His  natural  disposition  was  easy,  and  to  the  gratification  of  his 
tastes.  Sense  of  duty  and  love  for  the  cause  of  Christ  were  the  springs  of  his  sub- 
sequent life-long  labors.  But  up  to  the  day  of  her  death,  when  he  had  been  pro- 
fessor for  ten  years,  the  mother  lamented  that  Charles  would  '*  never  do  himself 
justice." 
3 


34 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1815. 


wanting  the  one  thing  needful.  You  must  not,  you  do  not,  at  least  I 
hope  you  will  not,  want  it.  I  remember  what  you  said  of  the  "  pious 
physician."  I  cannot  tell  you  how  it  made  me  feel.  I  was  rejoiced; 
for  I  knew  that  "  he  that  seeketh  findeth,"  and  that  "he  that  asketh 
receiveth." 

[you  have  probably  heard  exaggerated  accounts  of  the  revival,  as 
must  be  expected  on  such  occasions.  I  believe  that  there  are  about 
thirty  who  are  really  changed.  Almost  all  the  College  attend  the 
prayer-meeting,  which  is  held  every  evening  at  eight  o'clock,  in 
Newbold's  roomJ  Dr.  Green  lectures  to  us  in  the  senior  recitation 
room  every  Tuesday  evening,  and  Dr.  Alexander  on  Friday  eve- 
nings. These  meetings  also  are  attended  by  almost  all  the  students. 
If  you  were  to  see  me  kiss  Richards,  you  must  think  that  a  great 
change  had  taken  place. 

There  are  a  thousand  things  I  would  tell  you,  but  I  must  refer  you 
to  our  dear  brother  Johns.  It  being  half-past  twelve  at  night  is  a  suf- 
ficient reason  for  my  bidding  you  good-night. 

YOUR  BROTHER. 

[There  were  one  hundred  and  five  students  in  the  College 
during  the  winter  of  1814-15,  of  whom  twelve  had  been 
previously  professors  of  religion,  and  were  very  useful  in 
promoting  that  revival.  Most  of  them  were  much  older 
than  the  majority  of  their  associates./  Of  this  number  were 
Daniel  Baker,  afterwards  the  celebrated  evangelist;* 
Thomas  J.  Biggs,  subsequently  professor  in  the  Lane  Theo- 
logical Seminary ;  Isaac  W.  Platt,  long  pastor  of  the  church 
in  Bath,  New  York ;  Robert  Steele,  the  life-long  pastor  of 
the  church  in  Abington,  Penna.;  John  De  Witt,  life-long 
pastor  of  the  church  in  Harrisburgh,  Penna.  Of  the  re- 
maining ninety-three  students  then  in  College,  fully  one- 

*  Young  men  are  sometimes  disposed  to  determine  present  duty  by  their  antici- 
pations of  the  future.  Mr.  Baker  told  me  that  he  expected  to  spend  his  life  in 
preaching  the  gospel  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia ;  and  therefore  would  not  need 
a  thorough  theological  training.  On  this  account  he  declined  to  enter  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  In  less  than  a  year  after  leaving  College  he  was  married  and 
licensed,  and  entered  on  his  work.  The  first  thing  we  heard  of  him,  was  that  he 
was  called  to  be  the  pastor  of  an  important  Church  in  Savannah ;  then  he  was 
called  to  Washington,  where  he  had  Senators  and  Congressmen  for  his  hearers. 
He  subsequently  discovered  that  God  had  called  him  to  be  an  itinerant,  and  as 
such,  he  was  eminently  successful. 


>ET.  17.]  COLLEGE   COMPANIONS.  35 

half  gave  to  their  fellow-men,  in  their  after  life,  every 
evidence  of  having  become  true  believers  during  this  revi- 
val. In  the  light  of  God,  the  number  was  probably  greater. 
Among  these  were  John  Johns,  afterwards  Episcopal  Bishop 
of  Virginia;  Charles  P.  Mllvaine,  afterwards  Episcopal 
Bishop  of  Ohio ;  James  V.  Henry,  pastor  of  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Sing-Sing,  N.  Y.;  Symmes  C.  Henry,  pastor  of 
Church  at  Cranbury,  N.  J.  ;  Ravaud  K.  Rodgers,  pastor  of 
Church  at  Bound  Brook,  N.  J. ;  Wm.  J.  Armstrong,  after- 
wards Secretary  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions;  Benjamin  Ogden,  pastor  of  Church  at 
Pennington ;  John  Maclean,  afterwards  President  of  the 
College  of  New  Jersey ;  Charles  C.  Stewart,  Missionary  to 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  George  H.  Woodruff  and  John 
Rodney,  afterwards  Episcopal  ministers;  Benjamin  W. 
Richards,  afterwards  Mayor  of  Philadelphia,  &c.,  &c. 
Bishop  Johns,  together  with  William  James,  Charles  Stew- 
art, and  others,  made  his  first  profession  of  religion  in  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  Princeton,  July  7,  1815.  He 
afterwards  removed  his  connection  to  the  Episcopal  Church, 
attended  by  his  family  in  New  Castle,  Delaware. 

Many  of  my  College  associates  subsequently  rose  to  dis- 
tinction. Judge  Haines,  of  Ohio ;  William  Pennington, 
Governor  of  New  Jersey,  and  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  in  Congress ;  James  McDowell,  Governor 
of  Virginia ;  Richard  H.  Bayard,  U.  S.  Senator,  and  Minis- 
ter to  Belgium ;  Henry  Carrington  and  John  Blair  Dabney, 
of  Virginia.  These  last  were  inseparables ;  room-mates, 
with  all  their  books  marked  "  Carrington  and  Dabney." 
Mr.  Dabney  became  a  prominent  lawyer,  but  in  middle  life 
took  orders  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  Philip  R.  Fendall  * 
was  one  of  the  first  honor  men  of  our  class,  and  attorney  of 

*  One  day  a  dozen  of  us  were  standing  on  the  front  steps  of  the  College,  and 
Fendall  was  exercising  his  wit  on  those  around  him,  when  one  of  the  crowd  said, 
"  Fendall,  why  don't  you  cut  C —  —  ?"  The  prompt  reply  was,  "What  is  the 
use  of  cutting  mush  ?"  C.  was  so  amiable  that  even  that  gash  healed  by  the  first 
intention. 


36  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1815. 

the  District  of  Columbia.  Persifer  F.  Smith  became  a 
general  in  the  U.  S.  Army.  He  was  a  great  favorite,  and 
exuberant  in  humor.  If  you  heard  laughter  in  any  part  of 
the  building,  you  might  be  sure  that  Smith  was  at  the 
bottom  of  it.  He  was  greatly  distinguished  in  both  the 
Florida  and  Mexican  wars.  After  the  Florida  war  he  was 
driving  in  Philadelphia  (his  native  city)  with  a  party  of 
friends,  and  the  question  came  up,  "  What  was  the  cause  of 
the  great  difficulty  attending  the  war  against  the  Semi- 
noles  ?"  One  of  the  party  turned  to  the  General  and  said, 
"  Smith,  you  were  there,  what  do  you  think  was  the  cause 
of  the  trouble  ?"  He  replied,  "  I  do  not  know,  but  I  reckon 
it  was  the  Indians."  His  constitution  was  undermined  by 
malaria  in  Mexico,  and  he  died  in  1858,  while  in  command 
of  the  post  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  [John  Johns,  Bishop  of 
Virginia;  Charles  P.  M'llvaine,  Bishop  of  Ohio,  and  John 
Maclean,  President  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  have 
been  my  intimate,  life-long  friends.  Besides  these  there 
were  a  considerable  number  who  have  become  judges,  or 
members  of  congress,  or  distinguished  as  lawyers,  physi- 
cians, or  ministers  of  the  gospel.' 

IThere  were  two  of  my  college  associates^  who  are  en- 
shrined in  my  memory  as  remarkable  illustrations  of  the 
<rpower  of  goodness,  that  is,  of  holiness ;  these  were  Charles 
B.  Storrs  and  John  Newbold.  The  former  was  the  son  of 
the  Rev.  Richard  S.  Storrs,  of  Longmeadow,  Mass.,  and 
uncle  of  the  distinguished  Dr.  Richard  S.  Storrs,  of  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.  I  remember  him  principally,  as  a  member  of 
Whig  Hall,*  where  everybody  deferred  to  him.  He  was 
intelligent,  cultivated,  gentle,  courteous,  unassuming  and 
eminently  devout.  It  was  his  piety  which  made  him  what 
he  was.  It  was  the  halo  that  surrounded  him,  and  which 
secured  for  him  the  affectionate  deference  with  which  he  was 
always  treated.  His  health  was  delicate,  and  he  left  college 

*  A  permanent  secret  Literary  Society  of  the  College. 


JET.  17.]  COLLEGE  COMPANIONS.  37 

before  graduation.  After  studying  theology  at  Andover, 
he  removed  to  Ohio,  and  became  president  of  the  Western 
Reserve  College,  f  He  died  in  the  house  of  his  brother,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Richard  S.  Storrs,  of  Braintree,  Mass.,  in  1833,  at 
the  early  age  of  thirty-nine. 

I  never  saw  him  after  he  left  Princeton,  and  therefore  was 
the  more  interested  in  the  following  tribute  to  his  memory, 
taken  from  the  New  York  Times,  January  24th,  1878. 
"  Many  of  the  old  readers  of  the  (Boston)  Herald  may  re- 
member the  beautiful  poem  of  Mr.  Whittier,  to  the  late 
President  of  the  Western  Reserve  College,  Charles  B. 
Storrs,  a  man  of  high  culture  and  great  intellectual  powers. 
The  late  Judge  Humphrey,  of  Hudson,  Ohio,  said  Dr. 
Storrs  was  the  most  eloquent  man  he  ever  heard.  Presi- 
dent Storrs  was  an  out  and  out  anti-slavery  and  temperance 
man.  In  his  advocacy  of  these  two  great  causes,  he  knew 
no  such  words  as  falter  or  compromise.  Slavery  and  in- 
temperance were  wrong,  and  they  must  be  put  down.  Dr. 
Storrs  of  this  city,  a  nephew  of  President  Storrs,  who  in- 
herits the  intellectual  force  of  his  uncle,  and  is  a  man  of  rare 
culture,  perhaps  unequalled  by  any  man  in  the  American 
pulpit  to-day,  told  me  not  long  ago,  '  that  when  his  uncle, 
President  Storrs,  was  sick  unto  death,  and  his  mother  was 
watching  him  with  the  greatest  and  tenderest  care,  anxious 
for  his  life,  said  to  him,  '  Your  brother,  the  doctor,  says, 
'  You  must  take  a  little  brandy,'  he  turned  his  sparkling 
eyes  to  his  sister,  and  in  tones  of  voice  almost  silenced  by 
the  touch  of  death,  said,  in  slow  and  measured  words:  'No; 
I  cannot  take  it.  I  must  be  true  to  the  principle.'  These 
were  the  last  words  he  ever  spoke,  and  his  great  soul  went 
up  to  God,  who  gave  it." 

John  Newbold  was  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Episcopal  Church.  I  do  not  remember  to  have 
ever  known  a  man  who  was  so  absorbed  in  the  things  un- 
seen and  eternal.  He  seemed  to  take  no  interest  in  the 
things  of  this  life,  except  so  far  as  they  were  connected 


38  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  [1815. 

with  duty,  or  with  the  interests  of  religion.  His  conversa- 
tion was  in  heaven.  No  one  went  to  him  to  talk  politics, 
or  to  discuss  the  relative  merits  of  their  fellow-students. 
But  if  any  were  in  darkness  or  trouble,  they  would  go  to 
him  for  instruction  or  consolation.  He  had  far  more  in- 
fluence than  any  other  man  in  the  Seminary  (which  he 
joined  immediately  after  leaving  college).  If  an  irritating 
discussion  at  any  time  arose,  as  soon  as  Newbold  entered 
the  room  there  was  a  calm.  Or  if  it  happened,  to  any  two 
of  the  students,  as  it  did  to  Paul  and  Barnabas,  "  that  a 
sharp  contention,"  arose  between  them,  so  that  they  "  parted 
asunder,"  he  was  sure  to  bring  them  together  and  fuse 
them  into  one  by  his  love.  He  was  tall  and  long-limbed, 
and  rather  awkward,  though  a  thorough  gentleman.  His 
face  was  plain ;  and  would  have  been  homely,  had  it  not 
been  irradiated  by  the  beauty  of  holiness.  His  heart  was 
set  on  going  as  a  missionary  to  Persia  or  India.  As  at  that 
time  there  was  no  foreign  missionary  organization  in  this 
country,  connected  with  the  Episcopal  Church,  he  induced 
Dr.  Alexander  to  offer  his  services  to  the  Church  Mission- 
ary Society  in  England.  He  was,  however,  cut  down  by  a 
rapid  consumption,  and  died  before  entering  the  ministry. 
For  a  series  of  years,  I  acted  on  the  purpose  of  not  allowing 
his  memory  to  die  out  in  the  Seminary.  Therefore,  once 
at  least  in  three  years  (an  academic  generation  with  us)  I 
held  him  up  as  an  example ;  I  wished  to  cause  the  students 
to  see  how  much  good  can  be  done,  by  simply  being  good. 

[Here  ends  the  autobiographical  notes.  These,  also, 
were  the  very  last  sentences  that  Dr.  Hodge  ever  wrote, 
with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  short  family  letters.  A 
fit  and  characteristic  closing  of  the  vast  volume  of  writing^ 
which  for  fifty  years  had  flowed  from  his  pen.] 

He  graduated  from  college,  September,  1815.  John  Johns 
and  Philip  R.  Fendall  shared  the  first  honor,  and  Charles 
Hodge  and  Alexander  Wurtz  shared  the  second  ;  Charles 
Hodge  delivered  the  valedictory  oration. 


CHAPTER  III. 


FROM  HIS  GRADUATION  FROM  THE  COLLEGE,  SEPT.,  il/,  TO  HIS 
GRADUATION  FROM  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMI  NARY,  SEPT.,  1  8  19. 


STUDY  IN  PHILADELPHIA— JOURNEYS  TO  SILVER  LAKE  AND  VIRGINIA— SEMI- 
NARY  LIFE  AND   FRIENDS— AND   LETTERS   TO  MOTHER  AND  BROTHER. 

HIS  preparation  for  College,  especially  in  the  Greek  lan- 
guage, had  been  imperfect,  and  the  effort  which  had 
been  required  to  raise  him  to  the  high  position  in  the  class 
which  he  occupied  at  the  time  of  his  graduation^Jiad  deci- 
dedly taxed  his  physical  strength.  His  mother,  therefore, 
required  him  to  return  to  her  home  in  Philadelphia,  and 
spend  there  a  year  in  general  reading,  and  seeking  the 
recuperation  of  -his  health,  before  he  should  commence  his 
direct  preparation  for  a  profession.  Of  this  year,  very 
naturally,  but  few  memorials  remain.  He  spent  the  winter 
as  proposed,  in  Philadelphia,  following  a  course  of  general 
reading,  but  the  pain  and  weakness  in  his  chest  became  the 
cause  of  serious  uneasiness.  After  the  spring  opened  he 
spent  several  months  with  his  cousin,  Mrs.  Harrison  Smith, 
at  her  husband's  country  seat,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Washington  city,  D.  C.  He  afterwards  related  that  Mrs. 
Smith  made  him  drink,  frequently,  new  milk  mixed  with 
honey,  a  prescription  at  once  pleasant  to  his  taste,  and 
strengthening  to  his  chest. 

His  cousin  Jane,  eldest  daughter  of  Andrew  Hodge,  jr., 
and  Nancy  Ledyard,  had,  some  years  previously,  married 
Dr.  Robert  H.  Rose,  an  intelligent  Scotch  gentleman  of 

39 


40  JOURNEY  TO  SILVER  LAKE.  [1816. 

great  cultivation  and  taste,  who  had  become  the  owner  of 
a  large  tract  of  land  in  Susquehanna  county,  near  the 
north-eastern  corner  of  Pennsylvania.  In  that  day  the 
country  to  the  north  of  Easton,  at  the  forks  of  the  Dela- 
ware, was,  with  the  exception  of  the  Wyoming  valley,  for 
the  most  part  a  wilderness,  broken  only  here  and  there  by 
clearings  and  humble  homesteads.  But  Dr.  Rose  built  on 
the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Silver  Lake  a  residence,  which, 
more  than  almost  any  other  then  existing  in  the  Middle 
States,  took  the  place  and  fulfilled  the  offices  of  a  country 
residence  of  an  English  nobleman.  It  was  built  of  wood, 
yet  of  large  proportions,  and  adapted  to  the  entertainment 
of  many  guests,  thirty  at  a  time  often  staying  with^him  for 
days  or  weeks,  as  suited  their  convenience.  A  large 
library,  fine  pictures  and  works  of  art,  beautiful  conserva- 
tories and  gardens,  and  the  eminent  social  gifts  of  the  host, 
made  the  place  a  centre  of  attraction,  and  an  astonishing 
oasis  of  civilization  in  the  "back-woods."1 

Early  in  July  of  this  year,  young  Charles  paid  a  visit  to 
this  hospitable  house,  making  the  journey  from  Philadel- 
phia in  company  with  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Nancy  Hodge.  From 
Silver  Lake  he  wrote  several  letters  to  his  mother,  two  of 
which  remain,  which  are  given  to  the  reader  partly  because 
they  are  among  the  earliest  traces  that  survive  of  the  pen  of 
Dr.  Hodge,  afterwards  so  prolific. 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

SILVER  LAKE,  July  11,  1816. 

My  Dear  Mother  :— You  most  probably  will  have  heard  of  our  safe 
arrival  here,  long  before  this  reaches  you.  It  was  just  after  sun- 
down on  Sunday  evening  when  we  came  in  sight  of  the  Lake.  We 
were  much  less  fatigued  than  you  would  expect  by  our  four  days  of 
constant  riding  and,  part  of  the  time,  of  constant  jolting.  The  thirty 
miles  we  came  on  horseback  affected  aunt  more  than  all  the  rest  of 
the  journey.  A  considerable  par^  of  the  road  between  this  and  the 
city  is  dreary  enough ;  scarcely  any  thing  to  be  seen  but  fields  filled 
with  old  stumps,  and,  in  places  on  fire  last  spring,  whole  woods  of 


an.  1 8.]  JOURNEY  TO  SILVER  LAKE.  41 

leafless  and  limbless  trees.  There  are,  however,  some  landscapes 
more  beautiful  and  extensive  than  any  I  can  remember  ever  to  have 
seen.  From  a  mountain  near  Easton  there  is  a  prospect  as  rich  and 
widely  extended  as  your  imagination  can  well  conceive.  You  see 
before  you  a  fertile  valley,  through  which  the  Lehigh  and  Delaware 
flow,  and  in  which  they  meet.  Easton  is  situated  on  the  point  of 
land  formed  by  their  junction,  and  beyond  you  perceive  the  long 
ridge  of  the  Blue  mountains,  covered  with  the  richest  foliage.  The 
whole  of  the  ride  from  Tunckhannock,  about  thirty  miles,  is  very  de- 
lightful. ***** 

They  are  all  very  kind,  and  have  every  thing  about  them  they 
could  wish.  \The  place  fully  answers  my  expectations,  and  will  be 
delightful  when  the  country  is  more  cultivated.  *  *  *  The  lake 
proves  an  abundant  source  of  amusement,  and  also  of  healthy  exer- 
cise, as  we  often  paddle  about  in  the  old  canoe.  We  catch  here  the 
salmon  trout,  of  which  the  Doctor  is  very  proud,  as  he  thinks  they  are 
to  be  found  no  where  in  the  State  but  in  his  tract.  He  told  me  that 
if  I  turned  out  to  be  as  clever  a  fellow  as  my  brother  Hugh,  he 
should  like  to  make  a  backwoodsman  of  me.  *  *  *  I  feel  the  want 
of  my  other  pair  of  cloth  pantaloons  very  much.  Cousin  and  the 
Doctor  have  repeatedly  asked  me  to  spend  the  summer  here,  but  my 
want  of  clothes,  and  the  impossibility  of  getting  them,  if  nothing  else, 
would  prevent  it.  ***** 

You  would  think  it  strange,  perhaps,  if  I  were  to  close  my  letter 
without  saying  a  word  about  my  health,  but  I  have  little  to  say  on 
that  subject.  I  eat  here,  I  believe,  in  one  day  as  much  as  I  did  in  a 
week  in  the  city.  My  breast  is  sometimes  painful,  but  not  often,  and 
my  back  is  well  enough  if  I  do  not  stoop  much. 

The  good  people  here  desire  their  love  to  you. 

My  dear  mother's  affectionate  son, 

C.  HODGE. 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

SILVER  LAKE,  July  27,  1816. 

My  Dearest  Mother: — Partly  from  being  pretty  constantly  em- 
ployed during  the  past  week,  but  principally,  I  fear,  from  my  pro- 
crastinating disposition,  it  is  Saturday  morning  (instead  of  Monday 
or  Tuesday,  as  I  intended)  before  I  am  seated  to  fulfil  my  promise 
of  writing  to  you  before  our  return.  As  there  is  now  no  flattering  to- 
morrow for  me  to  look  forward  to,  it  must  be  done  to-day. 

(j  feel,  my  dear  mother,  fully  sensible  that  the  present  is  one  of  the 
most  important  periods  of  my  life,  viewing  it  as  one  in  which  the 


42  CHOOSING  A  PROFESSION.  [1816. 

choice  of  a  profession  is  to  be  made.  Having  left  us  to  act  freely  in 
this  respect,  you  are  aware  of  the  one  on  which,  even  for  some  years 
past,  I  have  been  conditionally  determined.  It  is  the  one,  I  know,  in 
which,  generally  speaking,  there  is  the  least  prospect  of  earthly  hap- 
piness, since  there  are  so  many  deprivations  and  inconveniences  to 
which  those  who  embrace  it  must  submit,  as  they  must  be  ever  so 
much  more  at  the  disposition  of  others  than  of  themselves.  Yet  I 
feel  that  it  is  the  only  one  in  which  I  could  be  happy,  believing  it  to 
be  the  path  of  my  duty.^1 

Considering,,  therefore,  my  choice  of  a  profession  as  made,  the 
next  most  important  points  to  determine  are  the  proper  time  and 
place  of  preparation  for  its  duties.  And  here,  my  dear  mamma,  I 
leave  myself  entirely  at  your  disposal,  not,  however,  without  urging 
my  own  wishes,  and  endeavoring  to  convince  you  of  their  pro- 
priety. 

Had  I  been  permitted  to  act  as  my  own  dictator,  my  feelings  would 
have  led  me,  agreeably  to  the  advice  of  friends  as  inexperienced  as 
myself,  to  have  entered  the  Seminary  immediately  after  leaving  Col- 
lege. From  this  improper  step  my  mother  saved  me.  Since  that 
time,  however,  a  year  has  passed,  and  I  feel  anxious  to  be  engaged 
in  serious  study,  fearing  that  if  kept  back  for  another  year,  the  time 
will  be  even  worse  than  lost.  For  I  believe  it  impossible  for  any 
young  man  whose  principal  business  it  is  to  pursue  an  object  as  in- 
definite as  general  information,  to  make  his  progress  in  any  measure 
co-equal  to  the  value  of  his  time.  For  you  know  that  it  is  necessary 
for  the  powers  of  the  mind  to  be  more  or  less  concentrated  in  order 
to  produce  effects.  The  acquisition  of  this  kind  of  knowledge  must 
be  the  gradual  and  'secondary  work  of  a  whole  life,  rather  than  the 
main  object  of  any  particular  period.  Besides  general  reading  as  a 
business  must  be  injurious,  as  it  has  a  tendency  to  render  the  mind 
incapable  of  attention  to  severer  and  less  interesting  studies.  \J$ut 
should  you  consider  that  another  year  thus  spent  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary, do  you  think  the  present  the  most  proper  time  ?  Would  it  not 
be  better  to  wait  until  after  the  three  or  four  years  of  professional 
studies,  when  the  mind  will  be  more  matured,  the  habits  of  study  and 
attention  more  firmly  fixed,  the  stock  of  information  increased,  and 
the  capacity  for  improvement  in  every  way  enlarged  ?  For  my  own 
part,  I  am  convinced  that  the  benefit  of  a  year  devoted  to  reading  at 
that  period  would  be  nearly  quadruple  that  of  an  equal  period  at  the 
present.  You  remember  that  Dr.  Alexander  told  us  that  if  I  were  to 
spend  a  fourth  year  in  reading  under  his  (or  their)  direction,  my  pro- 
gress would  be  greater  than  during  all  the  other  three  together. 

With  respect  to  the  most  advantageous  place  for  the  prosecution 


^ET.  18.]  TOUR  THROUGH  VIRGINIA.  43 

of  my  studies,  I  think,  my  dear  mother,  you  cannot  hesitate  between, 
on  the  one  hand,  a  place  in  which  I  can  enjoy  the  tuition  of  men  of 
talents  and  information,  whose  time  and  attention  are  devoted  to  the 
improvement  of  their  pupils,  with  the  advantage  of  good  libraries,  of 
the  company  of  persons  of  my  own  age  engaged  in  the  same  pur- 
suits, of  being  in  a  class,  of  constant  recitations  and  lectures,  and 
especially  the  advantage  of  a  debating  society  attended  by  the  pro- 
fessors of  College  and  Seminary — and  on  the  other  hand,  a  place 
in  which  I  must  be  under  a  private  gentleman  who  is  almost  entirely 
occupied  with  other  concerns,  and  in  which  I  shall  be  destitute  of 
nearly  all  the  above-mentioned  advantages. 

I  trust  you  cannot  suppose  that  I  am  influenced  in  what  I  say  by  a 
childish  fondness  for  Princeton.  I  am  far  from  being  sanguine  in 
my  expectations  of  happiness  there.  The  College  filled  with  strangers 
will  not  be  the  source  of  pleasure  it  was  when  it  contained  so  many 
of  my  dear  and  affectionate  friends,  and  I  know  that  my  situation 
must  be  far  less  pleasant  in  many  other  respects  than  it  was  when 
you  were  there.  I  am  ever,  my  dear  mother,  your  affectionate 

CHARLES. 

[During  the  month  of  October  of  this  year,  young  Charles 
had  the  great  pleasure  and  advantage  of  accompanying  Dr. 
Alexander  in  a  tour  through  Virginia,  among  the  scenes  of 
the  Doctors  earlier  ministry.  It  was  accomplished  chiefly 
in  stages  and  on  horseback.  It  extended  over  a  line  of 
about  600  miles  from  Philadelphia  and  back  again  ;  from 
Philadelphia  to  Baltimore ;  thence  to  Harper's  Ferry,  where 
the  Potomac  breaks  through  the  Blue  ridge ;  thence  up  the 
great  valley  thirty  miles  wide,  reaching  from  the  heart 
of  Pennsylvania  to  the  heart  of  Carolina  and  Tennessee,  to 
Lexington,  in  Rockbridge  county,  where  Dr.  Alexander  was 
born  and  educated ;  thence  back  to  Staunton,  and  through 
Rockfish  Gap,  by  Monticello  and  Charlottesville,  and  thence 
to  Fredericksburg,  where  they  attended  the  sessions  of  the 
Synod  of  Virginia ;  and  thence  to  Washington,  Baltimore, 
and  home. 

Our  father  used  in  after  years  to  recount  to  his  children, 
with  great  interest,  the  scenes  of  that  memorable  journey, 
and  the  happiness  of  that  blessed  companionship.  He  told 


44  TOUR  THROUGH  VIRGINIA.  [1816. 

of  the  remarkable  evidence  given  of  the  fervent  and  univer- 
sal affection  entertained  for  Dr.  Alexander,  and  the  enthu- 
siasm of  his  reception.  Of  how  often  when  under  the  ex- 
citement of  his  cordial  greeting,  the  Doctor,  shut  up  to  the 
alternatives  of  laughing  or  crying,  would  be  shaken  with  a 
nervous  laugh,  while  shaking  hands  by  the  half-hour,  and 
with  hundreds  of  old  friends.  Of  how  the  inspiration  of  the 
old  scenes  and  of  the  familiar  faces  lifted  the  Doctor  to  his 
original  elevation  of  extemporaneous  and  dramatic  eloquence, 
from  which  he  had  declined  since  he  had  formed  the  habit 
of  reading  his  sermons,  as  a  city  pastor  in  Philadelphia. 
Especially  he  referred  with  unabated  wonder  to  two  sermons 
preached  by  the  doctor  on  this  journey.  Once,  when  he 
preached  on  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac  by  his  father  Abram,  he  so 
minutely  described  and  enacted  the  scene,  that  the  entire  au- 
dience were  thrilled  and  rent  as  though  they  were  actually 
present  at  the  impending  tragedy.  Again,  when  he  preached 
on  the  judgment  of  the  quick  and  dead  by  the  Son  of  Man, 
he  so  keenly  apprehended  the  event  as  real,  and  so  graphic- 
ally described  it,  that  at  the  crisis,  when  the  trumpet  sounded, 
and  the  great  white  throne  began  to  descend,  the  entire 
congregation,  by  one  impulse,  rose,  and  bent  to  the  windows, 
that  they  might  see  Him,  and  take  their  places  among  the 
multitudes  thronging  to  meet  Him. 

But  one  letter  pertaining  to  this  journey  remains. 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

STAUNTON,  VA.,  Oct.  10,  1816. 

My  Dear  Mother  : — I  am  now  upwards  of  three  hundred  miles  dis- 
tant from  you,  and  from  almost  all  those  who  feel  an  interest  in  me. 
It  often  makes  me  feel  melancholy  to  look  on  the  map  and  see  the 
very  spot  where  my  friends  are,  and  then  reflect  what  a  space  there 
is  between  us.  I  can  in  every  hour  of  the  day  guess  where  you  all 
are  situated,  and  what  you  are  most  probably  doing ;  but  you  can 
only  think  of  me  as  somewhere  or  other  far  from  you,  engaged  in 
scenes  which  your  imagination  cannot  call  before  you.  I  expect 
therefore  that  you  are  oftener  in  my  thoughts  than  I  am  in  yours,  at 


^T.i8.]  TOUR  THROUGH  VIRGINIA.  45 

least  I  can  better  bring  you  all  before  me  from  being  acquainted  with 
the  places  you  constantly  frequent. 

The  first  opportunity  I  had  of  writing  was  on  Friday  evening  after 
a  fatiguing  ride  from  Baltimore  to  Fredericktown,  the  hurried 
letter  which  I  suppose  you  received  a  week  ago.  This  last  mentioned 
place  we  left  between  two  and  three  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning, 
when  the  moon,  being  full,  shone  with  such  brightness,  that  we  could 
almost  fancy  it  was  mid-day.  We  rode  eight  miles  to  a  place  called  the 
Trap,  where  we  breakfasted  just  at  day-break,  when  we  had  only  ten 
miles  to  ride  before  we  reached  Harper's  Ferry.  During  this  time 
we  had  frequently  beautiful  views  of  the  mountains,  and  could  gen- 
erally trace  the  course  of  the  Potomac  by  the  fog  which  rises  in  the 
morning,  and  which  enveloping  the  foot  of  the  Ridge,  leaves  only 
the  summit  visible,  resting  apparently  on  the  clouds.  .  .  .  After 
passing  the  Ferry  and  finding  the  stage  was  not  ready,  we  hastened 
up  the  hill  on  the  point  formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Potomac  and 
Shenandoah,  to  Jefferson's  rock,  and  kneeling  on  that  (for  we  were 
afraid  to  stand)  we  enjoyed  the  most  beautifully  grand  prospect  my 
eyes  had  ever  witnessed  or  my  imagination  had  ever  painted.  I 
shall  not  attempt  to  give  you  a  description  of  the  place,  but  only  say 
that  I  think  Jefferson  less  extravagant  in  saying  that  a  sight  of  it  is 
worthy  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  than  I  did  before  I  had  seen  it 
myself.  When  I  return  I  will  endeavor  to  give  you  some  idea  of  it. 
We  arrived  at  Winchester  just  at  dark;  the  Doctor  per- 
ceiving the  Presbyterian  Church  was  open,  we  put  our  baggage  in  the 
tavern  and  went  up  towards  it.  On  our  way  we  met  Mr.  Hill,  the 
Doctor's  frie"nd  and  the  minister  of  the  place,  who  insisted  on  the 
Doctor's  preaching,  although  he  had  risen  that  day  at  two  o'clock, 
and  had  ridden  fifty  miles  over  one  of  the  worst  roads  in  the  Union. 
Here  I  met  my  old  class-mate,  Baker,  who  took  me  home  with  him, 
where  I  was  treated  very  kindly  by  all  of  them  (there  were  no  less 
than  half  a  dozen  young  ladies  there).  The  next  day  being  Sunday, 
and  their  communion  season,  Dr.  Alexander  preached  in  the  morn- 
ing on  the  text,  "  Ought  not  Christ  to  have  suffered  these  things  ?" 
He  was  as  usual  most  excellent  and  affecting.  We  left  Winchester 
about  three  o'clock  Monday  morning,  by  moonlight  .  .  .  and  our  next 
stopping-place  was  Woodstock,  the  county-town  of  Shenandoah,  and 
this  being  their  court-day,  the  whole  place  was  filled  with  the  oddest- 
looking,  old-fashioned  German  men  and  women  I  ever  saw.  The 
Doctor  enjoyed  the  scene  very  much,  and  was  constantly  telling  me 
not  to  laugh,  while  his  own  mouth  was  wide  open.  v  .  .  We  slept 
that  night  at  New  Market,  and  before  three  the  next  morning  we  were 
in  the  stage.  It  was  exceedingly  cold  until  the  sun  rose  ;  we  rode 


46  ENTERED    THE  SEMINARY.  [1816. 

forty-five  miles,  and  arrived  at  Staunton  about  four  in  the  afternoon. 
Here  we  spent  Wednesday  and  Thursday  at  Dr.  Waddel's,  Mrs. 
Alexander's  brother,  who  is  quite  a  young  man.  I  received  here  all 
the  kindness  and  hospitality  which  I  could  expect  or  wish  for  even  in 
Virginia.  A  Mr.  McDowell,  a  friend  of  the  Doctor,  was  so  kind  as 
to  lend  us  each  a  horse  ;  so  on  Friday  morning  we  left  Staunton  for 
Lexington  on  horseback,  and  arrived  there  between  five  and  six. 
This  ride  of  thirty-five  miles  fatigued  us  more  than  all  the  rest  of  our 
journey  together.  I  feel  much  better  this  morning,  but  my  limbs  yet 
ache  a  good  deal.  We  are  to  visit  the  Natural  Bridge  on  Monday, 
which  is  about  fifteen  miles  from  this.  Then  we  are  to  return  to 
Staunton,  and  on  Monday  week  we  are  to  leave  Staunton  with  the 
two  Misses  Waddell."  They  will  drop  me  at  Charlottesville  for  a  day  to 
visit  Monticello.  They  intend  to  stop  at  the  Doctor's  brother-in-lawf 
where  I  am  to  rejoin  them  on  Wednesday  evening.  We  shall  then 
proceed  to  Fredericksburgh,  get  there  on  Friday,  and,  the  Synod 
meeting  there,  we  shall  stay  until  the  beginning  of  the  next  week,  for 
the  Doctor  to  see  his  old  friends  who  will  be  there.  We  shall  then 
take  the  steamboat  for  Washington,  then  the  stage  to  Baltimore ; 
then  the  steamboat  to  where  my  dear  mother  and  brother  now  are. 

I  have  been  very  happy  during  this  jaunt  (except  when  I  felt  un- 
easy about  the  state  of  my  funds,  which  has  sometimes  even  kept 
me  from  sleeping.)  I  have  met  with  a  great  deal  of  kindness,  and 
of  course  like  the  people  very  much.  The  Doctor  is  the  man  of  men, 
talks  a  great  deal  about  the  country  as  we  pass  along,  and  tells  me 
anecdotes  of  himself  suggested  by  the  sight  of  places  where  he  used 
to  be.  I  have  much  less  pain  in  my  breast  than  I  had  before  I  left 
home.  I  expect  to  return  quite  well. 

I  remain,  dear  mother, 

Your  son,  C.  H. 


ENTERED   THE   SEMINARY. 

On  November  Qth,  1816,  Charles  Hodge  was  matriculated 
as  a  student  in  the  Princeton  Theological  SeminaryJ  This 
institution  was  founded  in  1812.  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander 
was  the  first  professor,  and  sole  instructor,  until  the  acces- 
sion of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  D.  D.,  December  3d,  1813. 
At  first  there  were  neither  public  buildings  nor  libraries. 
The  houses  of  the  professors  were  used  as  places  for  recita- 
tion and  worship.  The  main  Seminary  edifice,  supplying 


yET.  18.]  THE  FIRST  PROFESSORS.  47 

apartments  for  dormitories,  library  and  public  meetings, 
and  recitations,  and  for  the  residence  of  the  steward,  and  the 
refectory  was  opened  for  use  in  the  autumn  of  1817,  when 
only  the  two  lower  stones  were  finished.  Charles  Hodge 
was  the  first  student  who  ever  preached  in  the  new  Ora- 
tory, that  sacred  room  with  which  his  person  and  voice  has 
been  associated  for  sixty-one  years.  The  residence  so  long 
occupied  by  Dr.  Alexander,  was  built  early  in  1819.  The 
corresponding  house  at  the  other  end  of  the  main  Semi- 
nary building,  occupied  by  Dr.  Hodge  for  fifty-three  years, 
was  built  during  the  latter  part  of  1824.  "  The  matricula- 
tions of  students  were  in  1812,  nine;  in  1813,  sixteen;  in 
1814,  fifteen;  in  1815,  twenty-two;  in  1816,  twenty-six;  in 
1817,  twenty- three." 

As  the  theological  character  and  life-work  of  Dr.  Hodge 
was  determined  by  the  discipline  he  received  in  this  Semi- 
nary, and  especially  as  he  always  affirmed  that  he  was 
moulded  more  by  the  character  and  instructions  of  Dr. 
Archibald  Alexander,  than  by  all  other  external  influences 
combined,  I  will  quote  at  length  the  information  given  by 
the  biographer  of  Dr.  Alexander,  as  to  the  characteristics 
of  the  first  professors,  and  as  to  their  methods  of  instruction 
during  the  first  years  of  the  Institution. 

"All  Dr.  Alexander's  life  long  he  was  free  to  acknow- 
ledge that  his  training,  however  laborious,  had  lacked  much 
of  the  vigor  and  method  of  the  schools.  Theology  had, 
indeed,  been  the  study  of  his  life.  During  his  residence  in 
Philadelphia  he  had  gathered  about  him  the  great  masters 
of  Latin  theology,  whose  works  appeared  in  Holland, 
Switzerland,  Germany,  and  France,  in  the  sixteenth  and 
seventeenth  centuries.  A  rare  occasion  of  adding  to  his 
stock  of  Dutch  theology  was  afforded  by  the  sale  of  a 
library  belonging  to  a  learned  minister  from  Holland,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Von  Harlinger,  of  Somerset  These  Reformed 
divines  he  regarded  as  having  pushed  theological  investiga- 
tion to  its  greatest  length,  and  compacted  its  conclusions 


48  THE  FIRS  T  PR  OFESSORS.  [  1 8 1 6. 

into  the  most  symmetrical  method.  He  once  said  to  the 
writer,  that  on  a  perplexed  subject  he  preferred  Latin  to 
English  reading^  not  only  because  of  the  complete  and  in- 
genious nomenclature  which  had  grown  up  in  the  dialectic 
schools  of  the  church,  but  because  the  little  effort  required 
for  getting  the  sense  kept  his  attention  concentrated.  His 
penchant  for  metaphysical  investigation  urged  him,  from  an 
early  date,  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  the  philoso- 
phies of  the  periods,  from  which  each  system  took  its  tinc- 
ture, and  without  which  it  is  impossible  to  survey  the 
several  schemes  from  a  just  point  of  view.  Thus  he  pe- 
rused, and  generally  in  their  sources,  not  only  the  peripatetic 
and  scholastic  writers,  but  the  treatises  of  Des  Cartes, 
Leibnitz,  Wolff,  and  Voetius.  And  there  was  no  subject  on 
which  he  discoursed  with  more  pleasure  and  success,  than 
upon  the  exposition  and  comparison  of  these  ingenious, 
though  now  exploded,  systems.  He  made  himself  familiar 
with  the  Christian  Fathers,  both  Greek  and  Latin,  and  pe- 
rused them  at  intervals  during  forty  years.  He  did  not  con- 
fine himself  to  writers  on  one  side.  Through  long  years  he 
was  wont  to  seek  with  patience  the  best  works  in  defence  of 
popery ;  the  argumentative  dissertations  of  the  extreme 
Lutherans  and  Dutch  Remonstrants,  as  well  as  the  Fratres 
Poloni,  and  other  champions  of  Socinianism.  It  need 
scarcely  be  added  that  he  was  familiar  with  English  the- 
ology, as  treated  both  by  authors  of  the  Established  Church, 
and  by  the  great  non-conformist  divines.  His  recent  travels 
in  New  England,  and  the  prevailing  excitement  caused  by 
the  speculations  of  Hopkins  and  Emmons,  served  to  keep 
him  observant  in  regard  to  the  phases  of  opinion  in  the 
.  American  churches.  As  it  respects  his  own  conclusions, 
he  has  left  on  record  the  statement,  that  on  his  return  from 
New  England,  and  during  his  residence  in  Philadelphia,  his 
views,  which  had  been  somewhat  modified  by  eastern  sug- 
gestions, began  to  fix  themselves  more  definitely  in  the 
direction  of  the  common  Westminster  theology. 


JET.  !8.]  THE  FIRST  PROFESSORS.  49 

"Although  called  primarily  to  be  a  teacher  of  theology, 
in  its  stricter  acceptation,  he  was  led  both  by  strong  native 
tastes  and  by  convictions  of  reason,  to  give  first  attention  to 
the  criticism  and  interpretation  of  the  original  Scriptures. 
With  the  Greek,  as  has  been  intimated,  he  was  sufficiently 
familiar  to  be  a  competent  instructor,  but  Hebrew  literature 
was  in  its  infancy  in  America.  The  works  of  Gesenius 
were  as  yet  unknown,  and  the  learned  labors  of  Gibbs  and 
Stuart  had  not  been  given  to  the  world.  Even  in  New 
England  the  vowel  points  were  for  a  time  held  in  suspicion, 
and  those  who  desired  to  penetrate  their  mysteries  were  fain 
to  seek  often  the  different  and  rare  volumes  of  Buxtorf, 
Leusden,  and  Opitius.  Conscious  of  his  own  imperfect 
knowledge,  he  modestly,  but  indefatigably,  set  about  the 
work  of  inculcation.  For  a  number  of  years,  and  with  in- 
creased ability,  he  worked  this  field,  until  relieved  by  the 
services  of  a  beloved  pupil,  the  Reverend  Charles  Hodge. 
Criticism  and  hermeneutics  was  a  department  which  had 
great  charms  for  him,  and  by  extensive  reading,  compiling 
and  original  investigation,  he  prepared  to  furnish  a  system 
of  instruction,  which  for  years  he  delivered  as  lectures,  a 
number  of  which  still  remain  among  his  papers.  To  this  he 
added  copious  instructions  in  Biblical  Archaeology,  on 
which  he  prepared  numerous  discourses,  and  which 
remained  under  his  control  for  many  years.  No  man  looked 
more  reverently  upon  the  typical  Christology  of  the 
Levitical  law ;  and  none  of  his  pupils  can  forget  the  awe. 
with  which  he  approached  the  recesses  of  the  expiatoiy 
system,  or  the  felicitous  use  which  he  made  of  the  altar 
and  the  propitiatory,  in  his  more  purely  theological  ex- 
position of  the  atonement. 

"  Deeply  persuaded  that  many  theological  errors  have 
their  origin  in  a  bias  derived  from  false  metaphysics,  he  set 
about  the  methodizing  of  his  thoughts  upon  mental  philo- 
sophy. The  German  philosophy  was  yet  unknown  among 
us,  and  he  was  never  led  to  travel  the  transcendental,  or 
4 


5O.  THE  FIRST  PROFESSORS.  [1816. 

high  "  a  priori  road,"  but  treated  mental  phenomena  on  the 
inductive  method,  as  the  objects  of  a  cautious  generalization. 
While  he  uniformly  recommended  the  perusal  of  Locke,  it 
was,  as  he  often  declared,  not  so  much  for  the  value  of  his 
particular  conclusions,  as  for  the  spirit  of  his  investigation ; 
the  calmness,  patience  and  transparent  honesty  of  that  truly 
great  man.  He  likewise  expressed  great  favor  for  Reid, 
Beattie,  Buffier,  Campbell  and  Stewart,  with  whose  general 
methods,  as  well  as  their  views  of  intuitive  truths  and  con- 
stitutional principles  of  reason,  he  was  in  agreement,  while 
he  dissented  from  many  of  their  definitions,  distinctions  and 
tenets.  From  these  topics  he  turned  to  the  closely  allied 
domain  of  Natural  Religion.  While  he  was  far  from  being 
a  rationalist,  he  was  never  satisfied  with  the  tactics  of  those 
reasoners,  who,  under  the  pretext  of  exalting  revelation, 
dismiss,  with  contempt,  all  arguments  derived  from  the  light 
of  nature.  He  rendered  due  homage,  therefore,  to  the 
labors  of  such  writers  as  Nieuwentyt,  the  younger  Turret- 
tin,  and  Paley,  and  spent  much  time  in  considering  and 
unfolding,  with  nice  discrimination,  the  various  schemes  of 
argument  for  the  Being  and  Perfections  of  God,  and  the 
necessity  and  antecedent  probability  of  a  revelation.  Con- 
nected closely  with  this  was  the  discussion  of  Ethical  Philo- 
sophy, in  which  he  taught,  from  the  outset,  the  same  doc- 
trines which  have  been  given  to  the  world  in  a  posthumous 
work. 

"  The  anxieties  belonging  to  an  attempt  to  lay  down  the 
great  lines  of  a  method  for  teaching  the  whole  system  of 
revealed  truth,  to  those  who  were  to  be  the  ministers  of  the 
Church,  were  just  and  burdensome.  As  compared  with 
those  later  methods  which  grew  out  of  continued  experi- 
ence with  successive  classes,  they  were  probably  more  ex- 
temporaneous and  colloquial ;  there  was  more  use  of  exist- 
ing manuals,  and  less  adventure  of  original  expedients. 
Dr.  Alexander,  herein  concurring  with  Chalmers,  conceived 
that  theology  was  best  taught  by  a  wise  union  of  the  text 


^rr.  18.]  THE  FIRST  PROFESSORS.  5 1 

book  with  the  free  lecture.  Finding  no  work  in  English 
which  entirely  met  his  demands,  he  placed  in  the  hands  of 
his  pupils  the  Institutions  of  Francis  Turrettin.  It  would 
be  very  unjust  to  suppose  that  the  young  men  were  charged 
with  the  tenets  of  Turrettin,  to  the  injury  of  their  mental 
independence.  Dr.  Alexander  often  dissented  from  the 
learned  Genevan,  and  always  endeavored  to  cultivate  in 
his  students  the  spirit  and  habits  of  original  investigation. 
He  very  laboriously  engaged  in  making  such  brief  aids,  in 
the  way  of  syllabus  and  compendium,  as  might  furnish  to 
the  student  a  manageable  key  to  the  whole  classification. 
He  prepared  extensive  and  minute  questions,  going  into  all 
the  ramifications  of  theology.  He  assigned  subjects  for 
original  dissertations,  which  were  publicly  read  and  com- 
mented on  by  both  professors  and  students ;  a  near  ap- 
proach to  the  acts  held  in  the  old  university  schools,  under 
the  scholastic  moderator.  To  this  were  added  the  debates 
of  a  theological  society,  meeting  every  Friday  evening, 
always  on  some  important  topic,  and  always  closed  by  the 
full  and  highly  animated  remarks  of  the  professor.. 

"  The  division  of  his  department  into  Didactic  and  Po- 
lemic Theology,  which  the  Plan  of  the  institution  made  im- 
perative, gave  the  professor  an  opportunity  to  go  over  all 
the  leading  doctrines  in  the  way  of  defence  against  the  ob- 
jections of  errorists,  heretics  and  infidels.  In  doing  this  he 
brought  to  bear  his  remarkable  stores  of  recondite  reading. 
He  gave  the  biography  of  eminent  opponents,  clear  analyses 
of  their  systems,  and  refutations  of  their  reasons.  What 
might  be  considered  by  some  an  inordinate  length  of  time, 
was  devoted  to  the  cardinal  differences,  such  as  the  contro- 
versy with  Deists,  Arians,  Socinians,  Pelagians,  Arminians, 
Papists  and  Universalists ;  all  being  made  to  revolve  around 
the  Calvinistic  system,  which,  upon  sincere  conviction,  he 
had  adopted." 

Dr.  Samuel  Miller  was  elected  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical 
History  and  Church  Government,  in  1813.  After  his  acces- 


52  ROOMS  AND  ROOM-MATES.  [1816-19. 

sion,  the  entire  instruction  of  the  Seminary  was  divided 
between  Dr.  Alexander  and  himself.  "  He  brought  with 
him  a  high  reputation,  as  a  preacher  and  author,  and  a 
Christian  gentleman.  His  name  was  widely  known  from 
his  '  Retrospect  of  the  Eighteenth  Century,'  and  more 
recently  from  his  defence  of  Presbytery,  against  the  attacks 
of  Doctors  Hobart  and  Bowden." 

.Hugh  Hodge,  in  referring  to  his  brother  Charles'  Sem- 
inary life,  remarks  that  "  now  he  began  to  discover  con- 
siderable facility  in  acquiring  knowledge,  although  he 
was  not  much  of  a  student."]  This  judgment  must  be 
understood,  in  view  of  the  fact,  that  Hugh  was  eighteen 
months  the  elder,  that  he  matured  much  more  rapidly 
than  his  brother,  and  that  he  was  himself  beyond  all  his 
associates  distinguished  for  the  strictness  of  his  method, 
the  extent  of  his  patience  and  power  of  self-denial,  and 
the  absoluteness  of  his  devotion  to  his  duty.  The  cor- 
respondence of  Charles  with  his  mother  shows,  that  dur- 
ing his  Seminary  course,  he  attained  to  the  habits  of  an 
earnest  and  successful  student.  He  boarded  and  lodged  at 
Mrs.  Bache's  during  the  first  year  of  his  Seminary  course. 
As  soon  as  the  public  building  was  ready  for  use,  in  the  fall 
of  1817,  he  took  up  his  abode  in  it.  During  his  junior 
year,  he  had  for  his  room-mate,  Thomas  Jacob  Biggs,  after- 
wards Professor  in  Lane  Seminary,  Cincinnati.  During  the 
middle  year,  John  Johns,  afterwards  Bishop  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church  in  Virginia;  and  during  the  senior  year,  Thomas 
Scudder  VVickes,  afterwards  a  pastor  in  the  state  of  New 
York.  With  all  of  these  brethren  Mr.  Hodge  formed  inti- 
mate friendships,  cherished  by  him  with  warm  affection  all 
their  lives.  But  the  mutual  love  of  Charles  Hodge  and 
John  Johns  was  singular,  and  in  the  experience  of  either  of 
them,  had  no  rival  of  its  kind.  It  burned  brighter  and 
brighter  for  sixty  years  on  earth,  till  now,  after  the  briefest 
separation,  Episcopalian  and  Presbyterian  brother  are  to- 
gether forever. 


JET.  19.]  HIGH  SPIRITS.  53 

His  most  intimate  friends  among  his  classmates  in  the 
Seminary,  were  Johns,  Mcllvaine  and  William  Nevins.^They 
were  an  exceedingly  joyous  and  playful  company.  Dr. 
Hodge  afterwards,  writing  of  Dr.  Miller,  said,  "  Our  class, 
one  of  the  earliest,  tried  his  patience  a  good  deal.  We 
were  not  bad,  but  boyish.  One  particularly,  afterwards  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  and  useful  ministers  of  our  church, 
the  late  Dr.  William  Nevins  of  Baltimore,  was  so  full  of 
fun  and  wit,  that  he  kept  us  in  a  constant  titter.  The  good 
Doctor  wore  out  his  lead-pencil  in  thumping  the  desk  to 
make  us  behave,  but  he  was  never  irritated.  [He  made 
allowance  for  us  boys,  knowing  that  we  loved  and  rever- 
enced him.!)  He  often  told  us  how  Nevins'  seasons  of 
playfulness  were  followed  by  reaction  and  depression,  and 
of  his  spending  a  large  part  of  the  night  with  him,  seeking 
to  restore  the  cheerfulness  of  his  faith  and  hope.  Also, 
how  after  he  became  assistant  teacher,  he  was  once  called 
upon  to  minister  to  the  conscience  of  the  eccentric,  but 
highly  talented  George  Bush,  who  was  overwhelmed  with 
fear  of  the  desertion  of  God,  because  he  had  killed  a  mouse. 


CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  nth,  1817. 

My  Dear  Mother : — I  am  not  quite  so  lazy  here  as  I  am  when  at 
home/  Yesterday  morning  I  rose  with  the  prayer  bell,  and  I  have 
now  been  up  more  than  an  hour,  and  have  seated  myself  to  write 
before  eight  o'clock. 

Our  ride  from  the  city  here  was  very  pleasant,  as  the  roads  are 
good,  and  the  weather,  especially  in  the  morning,  was  very  agree- 
able. Elizabeth  found  a  young  lady,  formerly  a  school-mate  of  hers, 
in  the  stage  coming  on  to  Princeton,  so  that  she  had  not  to  depend 
on  poor  me  for  the  pleasures  of  conversation.  For  my  part  I  never 
was  more  sensible  of  the  superiority  of  the  talents  of  ladies  for  talk- 
ing than  they  made  me. 

Your  son,  C.  H. 


54  CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  MOTHER.          [i8i7. 

FROM  THE  SAME  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Feb.  2ist,  1817. 

'My  Dear  Mother: — We,  the  theological  students,  have  entered 
upon  the  attempt  of  learning  singing  with  considerable  spirit.  We 
have  formed  ourselves  into  a  society,  to  be  called  The  Musical  Associ- 
ation of  Princeton  ;  have  a  constitution  drawn,  and  no  less  than  five 
officers,  President,  Vice-President,  two  Choristers,  and  Secretary. 
Biggs  is  our  Secretary.  Eaton,  an  excellent  singer  from  the  east- 
ward, is  President.  We  are  to  meet  once  a  week,  alternately  on 
Monday  and  Wednesday  evening.  Ladies  are  to  attend  and  enjoy 
the  privilege  of  members  on  invitation.  I  hope  it  may  succeed  and 
be  useful  in  improving  us  all  in  the  important  as  well  as  pleasing  art 
of  singing.  Dr.  Alexander  is  very  warmly  in  favor  of  it,  and  the 
ladies  of  his  family  are  as  zealous  in  the  cause  as  we  can  be. 

Your  son,  C.  H. 

FROM  THE  SAME  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  June  24th,  1817. 

My  Dear  Mamma  : — Here  I  am  once  more  in  our  little  study  fixed 
for  another  session.  May  the  blessing  of  heaven  rest  with  me  here, 
as  the  kindness  of  providence  has  followed  me  during  my  absence, 
and  may  the  richest  mercies  be  multiplied  to  you,  my  dear  mother 
and  brother. 

My  love  to  Cousin  Susan.  Yours,        C.  HODGE. 


FROM  THE  SAME  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  July  4th,  1817. 

My  Dear  Mother  .-—Caroline  wishes  to  stay  and  hear  Mr.  Larned, 
who  is  to  preach  for  us  next  Sabbath  in  the  Hall.  I  hope  they  will 
conclude  to  remain,  as  I  wish  Miss  C.  to  admire  Princeton  more  than 
merely  passing  through  would  lead  her  to  do.  The  better  known, 
the  more  beloved — happy  the  person  or  the  place  of  which  this  is 
true.  And  I  believe,  as  it  regards  most  people,  it  may  be  said  with 
strict  propriety  of  this  little  favored  spot. 

I  am  very  glad  you  can  perceive  an  improvement  in  my  writing. 
I  feared  it  was  too  small  to  be  noticed.  I  write  my  copy  regularly. 

Your  son,  C.  H. 


^r.  19.]       CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  MOTHER.  55 

FROM  THE  SAME  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  JULY  15,  1817. 

Dear  Mamma : — The  Sabbath  the  Miss  Bayards  were  here,  Lar- 
ned*  preached,  as  was  expected,  his  last  sermon.  The  Hall  was 
quite  crowded,  there  being  a  considerable  number  of  strangers  pre- 
sent, and  curiosity  or  a  regard  for  the  preacher  enabled  many  of  the 
inhabitants  of  town  to  overcome  their  reluctance  to  attend  our 
church.  They  were,  however,  amply  repaid,  for  Larned  preached 
with  a  degree  of  eloquence  which  few  could  equal.  The  ladies  bore, 
by  their  tears,  testimony  to  his  superior  powers,  and  many  of  his  fel- 
low-students, who  felt  as  though  they  were  never  to  hear  him  again, 
were  not  much  less  affected  than  the  ladies  themselves.  He  has 
gone  to  New  York  to  be  ordained,  and  then  intends  to  spend  six  or 
seven  weeks  with  his  friends.  It  is  probable  he  will  visit  most  of  the 
Atlantic  towns  between  this  and  Savannah  as  an  agent  for  collecting 
funds  for  the  Seminary.  This  is  the  plan,  should  Dr.  Romeyn  de- 
cline going.  From  Savannah  he  proceeds  to  New  Orleans,  there  to 
remain  and  labor  for  the  establishment  of  a  church  in  that  spiritual 
wilderness. 

.  Your  son,  C.  H. 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  13,  1817. 

Dear  Mother  ;-^-We  are  very  much  pressed  in  our  studies,  so  that 
I  begin  to  feel  as  Hugh  used  to  do,  at  seeing  so  much  more  before 
me  than  I  can  accomplish.  But  it  is  not  in  my  nature  to  worry  my- 
self much  about  what  I  cannot  help,  and  it  is  surely  best  to  do  as 
much  as  you  can  and  let  the  rest  go.  I  shall  arrive  at  this  conclu- 
sion and  make  a  practical  use  of  it  much  sooner  than  he  (Hugh)  has 
done,  though  he  says  he  has  at  length  attained  it.  What  is  dearly 
bought  is  highly  valued.  I  trust,  therefore,  he  will  take  care  not  to 
lose  the  power  of  looking  at  what  he  cannot  accomplish  or  attain, 
without  feeling  too  great  dissatisfaction  with  himself. 

Dr.  Alexander  recommended  to  us  this  morning  at  recitation 
nearly  thirty  different  works,  giving  such  a  character  of  each  as  to 
excite  a  strong  desire  to  read  them,  which  must  be  done  next  week 
or  left  undone,  for  we  then  pass  on  to  a  new  subject,  on  which  we 
may  expect  a  similar  supply.  One  great  thing,  however,  we  learn — 

*  A  prodigy  of  early  eloquence,  whose  name  is  often  mentioned  with  those  of 
Whitefield  and  Summerfield  ;  he  shone  brightly  for  a  few  years,  and  then  closed 
his  career  in  New  Orleans. 


56  CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  MOTHER.          [1818. 

that  is,  where  information  is  to  be  found  when  we  shall  be  more  at 
leisure  to  attend  to  these  copious  sources.  And  another  benefit  is, 
that  to  be  constantly  occupied  is  to  be  happy,  provided  you  are  con- 
vinced that  the  occupation  is  important  in  itself,  and  proper  for  you} 
Accordingly  I  never  was  in  better  spirits  than  I  have  been  in,  all  this 
session.  Up  before  sunrise,  and  not  to  bed  ever  much  before  twelve. 
But  four  evenings  in  the  week  we  are  occupied  until  nine,  before  we 
can  get  to  study. 

Susan  Beattie  (whom  perhaps  you  may  remember),  the  only 
daughter  of  Col.  Beattie,*  died  on  Tuesday  morning,  between  six- 
teen and  seventeen  years  old.  I  do  not  remember  ever  to  have  been 
more  shocked  than  I  was  when  I  heard  of  her  death.  Scarcely  eight 
days  before,  I  saw  her  apparently  enjoying  the  most  vigorous  health. 
Her  hold  on  life  appeared  firmer  than  that  of  any  of  her  companions, 
and  the  prospect  of  length  of  days  was  to  few  more  flattering.  She 
was  one  of  the  pall-bearers  for  Susan  Bayard,  and  now  they  lie 
mouldering  together  in  mournful  contiguity  in  the  house  of  silence, 
where  the  intercourse  of  friendship  never  can  be  known. 

Your  son,  C.  H. 


CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  March  22,  1818. 

Dear  Mother : — My  duties  are  so  numerous  and  constant  that  there 
is  not  an  hour  in  the  day  in  which  I  feel  at  liberty  to  attend  to  what 
is  foreign  to  my  present  pursuits.  I  am  happy  that  such  is  the  case, 
being  persuaded  that  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  be  pressed  forward,  in 
order  to  do  all  I  am  able  to  accomplish.  It  has  the  effect  also  of 
making  my  time  pass  by  on  eagle's  wings.  I  often  think  of  Mr. 
Bayard's  telling  me  that  as  we  grow  old,  our  years,  like  the  circum- 
ference of  an  inverted  tea-cup,  become  less  and  less^  I  should  feel 
old  indeed  if  I  judged  of  my  age  by  this  criterion,  and  young  indeed 
if  I  judged  by  what  I  have  done.  Rapidly  as  our  days  and  years  are 
flying  on,  how  difficult  is  it  to  realize  that  they  are  hastening  to  a 
close.  In  looking  forward  to  the  end  of  life,  it  appears  no  nearer 
now  than  it  did  five  or  six  years  ago  ;  yet  it  is  more  than  probable  that 
half  of  my  race  is  already  run,  and  perhaps  much  more  than  half. 
Would  that  I  could  act  accordingly  ! 

Your  son,  C.  H. 

*  Father  of  the  venerable  and  universally  beloved  Rev.  Charles  C.  Beattie, 
D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  pf  Steubenville,  Ohio. 


JET.  20.]  LIFE  IN  SEMINARY.  57 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  April  2,  1818. 

My  Dear  Mother ; — My  dear  brother's  letter  gave  me  more  plea- 
sure than  I  ever  before  received  from  anything  of  the  kind — perhaps 
much  more  than  he  experienced  himself,  as  constitutionally  he  is  not 
as  much  affected  by  these  things  as  I  am.  To  be  crowned  at  the  close 
of  a  hard-fought  course  is  the  highest  gratification  pertaining  to  this 
world,  and  to  see  a  brother  crowned  is  even  sweeter  still.  It  has 
made  me  proud  of  him,  though  I  think  I  never  was  more  grateful  for 
any  blessing  than  for  his  success.  To  be  thankful  for  the  past,  and 
to  trust  (yet  with  diligence)  for  the  future,  comprises  no  small  part 
of  our  present  duty.  When  the  more  important  race  of  life  is  run, 
may  my  dear  brother  then  receive  an  applauding  welcome,  and  a 
crown  of  glory  which  fadeth  not  away ! 

Your  son,  C.  H. 

Hugh  had  graduated  with  the  highest  honors  from  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
in  order  to  secure  the  means  for  perfecting  his  professional 
education  in  Europe,  he  sailed  as  surgeon  of  the  merchant 
ship  Julius  Caesar  from  New  York  for  Calcutta,  September 
8th,  1818. 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Sept.  10,  1818. 

My  Dear  Mother : — Every  circumstance  appears  to  conspire  to 
render  the  prospect  before  our  dear  treasure  pleasant  and  flattering. 
The  gentlemen  he  goes  with  a§e,  I  expect,  more  than  usually  estima- 
ble. The  Captain  has  a  high  character  for  amiability  as  a  man  and 
skill  as  an  officer.  And  the  ship  is  new,  strong,  swift,  and  hand- 
some. We  have  indeed  much  reason  for  gratitude  for  the  present 
and  the  past,  and  should  therefore  with  cheerful  confidence  commend 
to  God  the  keeping  of  the  gift  He  Himself  at  first  bestowed,  and  has 
thus  far  so  graciously  enriched  and  preserved. 

When  at  Rockaway,  as  I  had  never  seen  nor  heard  the  sea,  as 
soon  as  we  got  there,  though  quite  dark,  I  went  out  alone  to  go  down 
to  the  beach,  where  the  roaring  was  really  dreadful,  and  not  being 
able  to  see  the  water,  and  being  quite  alone,  surrounded  by  the  gloom 
of  darkness,  I  felt  chilled  almost  with  a  kind  of  horror  of  the  ocean, 
and  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  my  brother  ever  venturing  on  its 


58  LIFE  IN  SEMINARY.  [1818. 

bosom.     But  when  the  sun  had  in  the  morning  gilded  the  expanse, 
the  awful  was  changed  into  the  beautiful  and  sublime,  and  I  wished 

myself  at  sea. 

Your  affectionate  son,  C.  H. 

I  have  found  among  his  papers  a  small  roll  inscribed, 
" Correspondence  of  C.  H.  and  S.  B.,li8i7  and  i8i83  These 
are  the  remains  of  an  exchange  of  letters  he  kept  up  with 
his  future  wife  from  the  first  of  his  Seminary  life  until  their 
marriage?!  As  a  fair  specimen  of  this  remarkable  love-letter 
writing,  I  record  the  following,  written  from  Princeton,  in 
1818,  day  and  month  not  given. 

My  Dear  Sarah  ;—~ Our  intercourse  for  some  time  past  has  been,  as 
far  as  it  is  carried  on  by  writing,  not  only  very  irregular,  but  very  tri- 
fling. What  can  be  the  reason  of  this  ?  Does  a  note  of  more  than 
half  a  dozen  lines  require  an  effort  which  our  feelings  are  inadequate 
to  produce  T'1  Or  are  we  really  so  constantly  employed  that  a  fortnight 
affords  no  half-hour  on  which  affection  might  seize  to  devote  to  an 
occupation  it  considers  and  constitutes  delightful  ? 

But  this  is  not  the  worst  of  it.  LWhere,  my  dear  Sarah,  is  our  reli- 
gion ?  Why  have  we  banished  it  from  our  conversation  and  our 
writing  ?^  Can  you  recollect  for  weeks  its  being  the  subject  of  either  ? 
This  change  I  know  is  to  be  attributed  in  a  great  measure,  and  per- 
haps entirely,  to  myself.  I  have  never  been  enabled  in  all  I  have 
said  to  you  to  meet  the  difficulties  you  so  constantly  feel.  Perhaps  it 
would  be  right,  therefore,  not  to  attempt  it  again,  but  to  commend 
you  simply  to  the  grace  of  God  and  to  the  teachings  of  His  Spirit. 
But  I  think  there  is  one  thing  which  has  not  sufficiently  engaged  your 
attention,  and  which  is  of  great  praqfical  importance.  That  is,  that 
faith  itself  is  the  very  first  duty  God  requires  us  to  perform,  without 
which  it  is  impossible  to  please  Him  in  any  thing.  All  attempts  there- 
fore which  men  so  frequently  make  to  obey  before  they  believe,  is 
proceeding  in  a  way  directly  the  reverse  of  what  God  has  prescribed. 
All  our  ability  to  obey  is  obtained  by  faith.  Nothing  else  will  purify 
the  heart.  It  is  by  faith  that  we  become  united  to  Christ,  in  whom 
all  our  strength  resides.  He  then  that  wishes  to  attain  to  holiness 
will  be  disappointed  after  all  his  efforts,  unless  he  begins  by  believing. 
It  is  to  this  single  point  then  that  our  first  and  our  constant  efforts  are 
to  be  directed.  It  is  but  "looking  unto  Jesus,"  as  dear  Armstrong 
told  us  yesterday.  Until  this  act  be  performed  we  are  struggling  in 
our  own  strength,  we  are  warring  at  our  own  charges ;  but  as  soon  as 


I 

Ml.  20.]  LIFE  IN  THE  SEMINARY.  59 

we  believe  the  battle  becomes  the  Lord's,  then  all  His  attributes  are 
engaged  to  subdue  our  sins  and  secure  our  salvation.  And,  my  dear 
Sarah,  the  reason  why  persons  truly  pious  make  so  little  progress  and 
meet  with  so  many  discomfitures  is  because  they  do  not  carry  on  the 
conflict  in  the  right  way.  They  endeavor  to  subdue  their  corruptions 
by  arguing  with  themselves  and  bringing  up  motives  to  holiness,  in- 
stead of  using  faith.  That  is,  instead  of  throwing  all  upon  Christ  and 
pleading  at  the  moment  His  promise  to  deliver  us  from  sin.  If  we 
appeal  to  Him  with  confidence,  He  will  never  fail  to  appear  in  our 
behalf.  And  this  is  the  course,  my  Sarah,  I  would  recommend  to 
you.  Use  Christ  as  though  He  were  your  own  -J  employ  His  strength, 
His  merit,  and  His  grace  in  all  your  trials.  This  is  the  way  to  honor 
Him.  Fear  not  that  He  will  be  offended  at  the  liberty. 

PRINCETON,  ,  1818. 

With  regard  to  the  subject  of  the  first  part  of  your  last  note,  my 
dear  Sarah,  I  have  thought  that  a  view  presented  some  time  since  by 
Dr.  Alexander  would  be  of  use  to  you.  In  speaking  of  the  justice  of 
God  in  the  punishment  of  sin,  he  observed  that  it  was  the  foundation 
of  the  whole  plan  of  redemption  ;  for  had  there  not  been  some  abso- 
lute necessity,  arising  from  the  nature  of  God,  that  sin  should  be 
punished,  how  can  we  suppose  that  He  would  make  the  infinite  sa- 
crifice of  His  Son,  rather  than  permit  it  to  pass  with  impunity.  Be- 
sides, as  God  is  not  only  Holy,  but  Holiness  itself,  and  as  sin  is 
the  direct  [opposite  of  holiness,  it  follows  from  the  nature  of  things 
that  God  must  be  opposed  to  sin,  and  of  course  to  any  being  whose 
moral  character  it  constitutes.  But  he  to  whom  God  is  opposed  can- 
not dwell  with  Him,  and  would  not  if  he  could  ;  for  the  soul  polluted 
by  sin  would  find  the  purity  of  God  more  insufferable  than  the  tor- 
ments of  hell.  But  not  to  dwell  with  God  is  by  necessity  to  be  mise- 
rable. And  as  sin  is  rebellion,  self-destruction,  and  an  attempt  to 
destroy  the  peace  and  happiness  of  the  universe,  can  God  be  unjust 
to  confine  its  perpetrators,  that  they  may  not  make  His  holy  creation 
miserable,  or  to  punish  them  for  their  malicious  opposition  to  all  that 
is  good.  Thus  you  see,  my  dear  Sarah,  that  sin  and  misery  are  in- 
separably united  from  the  nature  of  things,  as  well  as  from  the  holy 
decree  of  God.  Pray  for  light,  for  that  wisdom  which  comes  down 
from  heaven ;  and  for  your  encouragement  hear  Him  say,  "  If  any 
man  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  who  giveth  liberally  and  up- 
braideth  not."  There  is  more  to  be  learned  by  prayer  than  by  study. 
Beware,  however,  how  you  procrastinate  and  where  you  rest.  Re- 
member that  every  foundation  is  sandy  save  one — that  is,  Christ. 
Blessed  be  the  Lord  forever  that  there  is  one.  To  Him,  my  love,  go. 


* 
6O  LIFE  IN  THE  SEMINARY.  [1818. 

Go  now,  stay  not,  till  by  the  use  of  means  you  make  yourself  better. 
This  is  not  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  intended.  ^Wait  not  till 
your  heart  becomes  penitent  and  humble,  but  go  with  a  proud  heart 
for  Him  to  changeT]  This  is  the  blessing  you  want.  Then  go  as  you 
are,  since  He  alone  can  give  you  what  you  need. 

\Our  mother  always  attributed  her  religious  life  to  the 
instrumentality  of  her  young  lover  and  husband^.  In  Aug. 
4th,  1820,  she  writes: 

"  I  love  to  feel  myself  bound  to  you  by  indissoluble  ties  that  not 
even  the  grave  can  change — to  feel  that  after  being  cherished  and 
guided  by  you  through  time,  I  shall,  through  your  instrumentality, 
stand  by  you  purified  before  the  throne  of  our  Heavenly  Father  when 
time  shall  be  no  more.  Can  any  conception  comprehend  the  ecstacy 
of  such  a  moment,  or  any  earthly  happiness  equal  it  ?  Am  I  guilty 
of  detracting  from  the  true  source  and  first  cause  of  all  happiness 
when  I  suppose  that  even  in  heaven  it  may  be  augmented  by  the  re- 
flection that  a  beloved  partner  was  the  means  of  our  attaining  it?" 

About  the  middle  of  October  he  attended  the  meeting 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  held  in  Reading,  about 
seventy  miles  north-west  from  the  city,  and  passed  his  exa- 
mination preparatory  to  licensure.  He  then  went  from 
Reading  through  Easton  and  Wilkesbarre  to  Silver  Lake, 
from  which  he  wrote. 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

SILVER  LAKE,  Oct.  26,  1818. 

Dear  Mother : — I  met  with  a  kind  reception  from  the  Doctor  and 
Cousin  Jane.  Every  thing  is  very  delightful  in  this  fairy  place.  The 
Doctor  has  made  several  considerable  improvements  since  I  was  here 
before,  and  he  bids  fair  soon  to  raise  his  country  seat  to  a  full  equality 
with  the  villas  of  foreign  lands. 

Your  son,  CHARLES. 

JOHN  JOHNS  TO  CHARLES  HODGE. 

NEW  CASTLE,  Nov.  2,  1818. 

Dear  Charles : — I  missed  the  pleasure  of  seeing  Larned  and  Breck- 
enridge.  Not  expecting  any  of  my  friends  on  that  day,  I  had  gone 
out  of  town.  *  *  * 


JET.  21.]  LIFE  IN  THE  SEMINARY.  6 1 

I  do  hope  most  sincerely,  my  dear  brother,  that  you  have  been  re- 
cruited by  your  jaunt  to  the  Lake.  I  feel  more  apprehensive  for  you 
now  I  must  be  separated  from  you,  than  when  I  could  be  constantly 
with  you.  I  add  another  expostulation  to  the  many  already  given 
that  you  commence  this  session  with  a  determination  to  be  more  at- 
tentive to  your  health  than  to  your  studies.  Friends,  duty,  usefulness 
demand  this  of  you.  Go  see  Sarah  as  often  as  you  please,  if  nothing 
else  will  keep  you  out  of  your  room,  and  tell  her  you  are  following  my 
prescription.  Guinea  Lane  (now  Witherspoon  street)  is  more  salu- 
brious than  Silver  Lake  to  some  constitutions. 

Although  I  have  not  roamed  much  since  I  saw  you,  yet  I  have  stu- 
died but  little.  Turrettin  De  Vocatione,  Witherspoon 's  treatise  on  Re- 
generation, Doddridge's  Series  of  Sermons  on  the  same  subject,  Le- 
land's  View  of  Deistical  Writers,  and  a  few  reviews,  and  several  bio- 
graphical sketches  connected  with  church  history,  comprise  my 
labors. 

I  have  attended  a  good  many  societies  here,  and  several  out  in  the 
country.  In  these  last  I  have  been  prevailed  upon  to  exhort,  and 
have  found  more  freedom  than  I  ever  expected  on  such  occasions. 
When  my  own  heart  is  affected  and  the  people  seem  attentive,  it  is 
the  most  delightful  thing,  and  I  was  going  to  say  the  easiest  thing,  in 
the  world  to  talk  to  a  few  who  have  assembled  to  worship  ;  but,  dear 
Charles,  it  is  heavy  work,  inexpressibly  heavy,  when  views  are  dark 
and  the  affections  languid.  Very  little  experience  on  a  contracted 
scale  has  taught  me  what  I  had  often  heard  before,  that  nothing  but 
sincere,  deep  and  ardent  piety  will  do  for  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 
I  trust  that  I  sincerely  feel  its  necessity  in  a  greater  degree  than  here- 
tofore, and  hope  that  this  conviction  is  the  precursor  of  greater  com- 
munications of  grace  and  strength  than  I  have  hitherto  enjoyed. 

Dear  Charles,  write  soon.  J.  J. 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  n,  1819. 

My  Dear  Mother : — Johns  communicated  to  us  the  death  of  our 
brother  Newbold.  Dr.  Alexander,  speaking  of  the  event  before  the 
Seminary,  said :  "  As  to  John  Newbold,  I  always  thought  that  man, 
since  I  first  knew  him,  one  of  the  very  best  men  I  ever  saw.  I  never 
knew  a  youth  in  whose  piety  I  had  greater  confidence.  It  was  not 
only  genuine,  but  he  possessed  the  deepest  sentiments  of  piety.  He 
had  an  intellect  of  the  first  order,  and  though  the  impediment  in  his 
utterance  might  have  prevented  his  being  popular  as  a  speaker,  yet 
he  had  a  mind  capable  of  the  deepest  and  clearest  investigation." 
The  Doctor  then  gave  some  particulars  of  his  life  and  prospects. 


62  LIFE  IN  THE  SEMINARY.  [1819. 

Such  a  testimony  from  such  a  man  is  a  better  legacy  to  friends  than 
the  richest  bequests  of  princes. 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

•PRINCETON,  Feb.  i,  1819. 

My  Dear  Mother  : — The  third  and  last  year  of  my  continuance  at 
the  Seminary  is  so  rapidly  passing  by,  that  I  cannot  prevent  myself 
from  frequently  looking  forward  to  its  close,  and  asking  the  question — 
"  Where  am  I  to  go  ?"  or  "  What  am  I  to  do  ?"  And  it  is  almost  time 
that  an  answer  to  this  question  was  prepared.  For  it  is  of  so  great 
importance  that  it  would  be  wrong  to  defer  it  so  long  that  the  decision 
should  at  last  be  made  without  much  deliberation.  Unless  I  am 
greatly  mistaken  in  my  own  heart,  I  have  scarcely  a  wish  jm  the 
subject  save  that  the  path  I  pursue  may  be  the  path  of  duty.  \JJnder 
Him,  whose  I  am  by  particular  obligations,  I  feel  at  the  disposal  of 
you  and  Dr.  Alexander ; ,'  and  should  you  agree  in  marking  out  the 
same  course,  I  trust  I  should  tread  it  with  cheerful  feetj  It  is  of  great 
importance  to  have  some  definite  object  placed  before  us  to  engage 
our  minds  and  interest  our  feelings.  Something  at  once  great  and 
good,  on  which  we  can  dwell  with  complacency,  to  which  we  can  feel 
consecrated,  and  for  which  we  might  be  constantly  preparing.  I 
have  often  congratulated  Nevins  and  Mcllvaine  on  their  possessing 
this  enviable  advantage,  but  now  their  prospect  is  as  indistinct  as  my 
own.* 

I  hope  to  see  my  good  brother  Johns  before  a  great  while.  I  wish 
you  would  send  me  by  him  a  little  bag  of  gingerbread  to  eat  after  our 
long  society  evenings.  You  may  smile  at  this  corning  from  a  man — 
but  Johns  will  tell  you  it  is  worth  being  laughed  at  to  gain  so  substan- 
tial a  good. 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Feb.  10,  1819. 

My  Dear  Mother : — I  do  not  feel  very  impatient  or  anxious  about 
the  course  I  am  to  pursue  on  leaving  the  Seminary,  except  that  it 
will  be  necessary  to  decide  before  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly, in  case  it  should  be  thought  expedient  for  me  to  take  a  mission 
either  through  the  Western  or  Southern  States.,  This  is  the  plan 
which  Davis  urges.  He  intends  to  travel  in  the  character  of  a  mis- 
sionary over  almost  all  the  Union,  and  is  quite  anxious  I  should  join 
him.  Without  my  knowing  it,  he  mentioned  it  to  Dr.  Alexander,  who 

*  The  mission  to  South  America  to  which  these  brethren  had  been  designated 
had  been  abandoned  because  of  the  state  of  that  country. 


JET.  2 1 .]  SELECTION  AS  TEA  CHER.  63 

said  it  would  be  an  excellent  thing  for  me,  especially  should  my 
health  need  establishing.  But  this  is  all  his  doing.  For  myself  I 
have  scarcely  thought  of  it  for  a  moment,  and  at  present  have  no 
more  plan  than  I  had  a  year  ago.  I  laughingly  told  the  Doctor  he 
must  dispose  of  me  before  a  great  while.  He  asked  if  I  would  be 
willing  to  go  where  he  would  send  me.  I  said  "  Yes."  •  "  Take  care," 
says  he;  "I  may  shock  you  when  I  come  to  tell  you  what  to  do." 
But  I  am  not  afraid  of  him.  The  dear  little  man  has  been  unwell 
two  or  three  times  this  session,  and  as  he  won't  take  exercise,  he  is  in 
danger  of  becoming  quite  enfeebled. 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  N.  J.,  March  31,  1819. 

Dear  Mother  : — They  have  at  last  commenced  the  house  for  Dr. 
Alexander.  It  is  to  be  built  on  the  Seminary  grounds,  having  its 
front  fourteen  feet  nearer  to  the  road  than  the  front  of  the  main 
building.  It  is  to  be  of  brick,  which  will  be  very  ugly,  unless  they 
intend  painting  it  white.  The  dear  little  man  will  then  be  so  near 
the  Seminary,  I  am  afraid,  he  will  never  take  the  least  exercise. 
Walking  from  his  study  to  recitation,  under  a  pretty  heavy  burden  of 
clothes,  is  now  nearly  all  he  makes  out  to  accomplish. 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  April  21,  1819. 

My  Dear  Mother: — The  close  of  session  brings  with  it  an  additional 
burden  of  duties.  During  the  last  week  mine  has  come  upon  me  all 
at  once,  for  it  has  happened  that  several  extra  exercises  have  devolved 
upon  me  at  the  same  time.  I  have  now  to  prepare  for  a  difficult  dis- 
cussion by  Friday  evening,  which  will  keep  me  diligent  until  it  is 
over.  I  suspect  that  I  shall  always  have  stimulus  enough  of  this  kind 

%  to  make  me  undertake  as  much  as  my  strength  is  able  to  accomplish. 

.JVIy  character  for  diligence  is  better  than  for  any  thing  else,  I  am 
afraid.  One  of  my  fellow-students,  who  is  quite  fond  of  me,  said  the 
other  day  I  must  be  a  fool  if  I  did  not  know  a  great  deal,  for  I  study 
so  much.  This  is  a  difficult  alternative  to  choose  between — folly  and 
great  knowledge. 

It  became  more  and  more  evident  that  Dr.  Alexander 
must  be  relieved  from  some  portion  of  his  onerous  duties, 
and  that  the  faculty  must  eventually  be  enlarged  by  the 
addition  of  a  third  professor  for  the  Department  of  Biblical 
Literature  and  Exegesis.  The  Doctor's  preference  was  to 


64  SELECTION  AS  TEACHER.  [1819. 

train  one  of  his  own  students  for  the  position.  He  had,  in 
the  first  instance,  made  overtures  to  this  end  to  Mr.  John 
Johns,  who,  having  graduated  from  the  College  of  New 
Jersey  with  the  first  honor  in  1815,  had  afterwards  spent 
two  years  in  <J:he  Theological  Seminary,  exhibiting  the  same 
high  qualities  as  a  scholar  and  Christian.  But  Mr.  Johns, 
one  of  whose  parents  was  a  Presbyterian  and  the  other  an 
Episcopalian,  was  at  that  time  debating  the  question  as  to 
which  denomination  he  should  ultimately  attach  himself. 
He  in  the  end,  with  the  advice  of  Dr.  James  P.  Wilson, 
pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia,  and 
assent  of  Drs.  Alexander  and  Miller,  decided  to  enter  the 
ministry  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  of  which 
eventually  he  became  so  bright  an  ornament.  The  reason, 
on  the  part  of  the  two  Princeton  Professors,  for  their  part 
of  the  decision,  was  that,  in  their  opinion,  Mr.  Johns,  as 
providentially  situated,  and  as  characterized  by  his  decided 
evangelical  and  Calvinistic  sentiments,  could  do  more  good 
in  the  direction  determined  on  than  in  the  other.* 

*  Bishop  Johns  was  brought  up  in  the  bosom  of  a  pious  and  highly  cultivated 
family.  His  father,  Judge  Johns,  was  Chancellor  of  the  State  of  Delaware.  In 
his  native  town,  Newcastle,  Delaware,  there  were  two  churches,  the  one  Episco- 
pal, of  which  the  Rev.  Mr.  Clay  was  rector,  and  the  other  Presbyterian.  Each 
of  these  ministers  had  an  additional  country  parish;  and  they  so  arranged  it 
that  they  never  officiated  in  the  town  the  same  part  of  the  day  on  Sunday. 
Hence  it  was  that  the  same  congregation  went  in  the  morning  to  the  one  church, 
and  in  the  afternoon  to  the  other.  In  Chancellor  Johns'  family,  some  of  the 
children  were  Presbyterians,  and  others  Episcopalians.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, it  was  not  surprising  that  the  bishop,  in  the  early  part  of  his  preparatory 
course,  was  undecided  as  to  the  Church  in  which  he  should  minister.  The  late 
Rev.  Dr.  James  P.  Wilson,  an  eminent  Presbyterian  minister,  before  he  embraced 
the  ministry,  was  a  distinguished  lawyer,  and  an  intimate  friend  of  Judge  Johns. 
It  was  under  his  advice  that  the  bishop  decided  to  enter  the  ministry  of  the 
Episcopal  Church.  "  This  decision,"  says  Rev.  Dr.  Hodge,  "  although  neither 
of  us  at  the  time  knew  anything  about  it,  determined  my  whole  course  in  life. 
When  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  was  appointed  professor  in  the  Seminary  at 
Princeton,  he  had  under  his  care  the  departments  of  didactic,  polemic  and  pas- 
toral theology,  together  with  instruction  in  Hebrew.  He  soon  found  that  this 
was  too  burdensome,  and  therefore  determined  to  select  some  young  man  on 
whom  he  might  devolve  the  Hebrew  department.  He  selected  Johns.  When 
he  decided  to  enter  the  Episcopal  Church,  he  took  up  with  me.  Johns  was 


JET.  21.]  SELECTION  AS  TEACHER.  65 

In  the  morning  of  May  6th,  1819,  young  Charles  Hodge, 
then  approaching  the  end  of  his  Seminary  course,  happened 
to  call  upon  Dr.  Alexander  in  the  study  in  the  wing  of  the 
small  wooden  house  on  Mercer  Street,  first  door  east  of  the 
Episcopal  Churchyard,  which  the  Doctor  occupied  before  his 
entrance  upon  his  permanent  residence.  After  the  business 
which  brought  him  had  been  transacted,  Dr.  Alexander, 
without  preparation,  suddenly  said  :  "  How  would  you  like 
to  be  a  professor  in  the  Seminary?"  Our  father  often  in 
after  years  told  us,  that  this  question  overwhelmed  him 
with  surprise  and  confusion.  The  thought  had  never  en- 
tered his  imagination  before.  The  Doctor,  without  waiting 
for  an  answer,  said :  "  Of  course  I  have  no  power  to  deter- 
mine such  a  result.  It  will  depend  upon  the  judgment  of 
the  General  Assembly.  Say  nothing  now,  but  think  upon 
it.  My  plan  for  you,  at  present,  is  simply  that  you  spend 
the  next  winter  in  Philadelphia  learning  to  read  the  Hebrew 
language  with  points  with  some  competent  instructor."  A 
week  afterwards  Mr.  Hodge  wrote  to  his  mother  as  follows : 

CHARLES  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  May  13,  1819. 

My  Dear  Mother : — The  subject  of  my  last  letter  has  occupied  my 
mind  a  good  deal,  though  I  have  not  come  to  any  very  definite  deter- 
mination. Did  the  duties  of  the  contemplated  office  require  me  to 
give  up  the  prospect  of  preaching  altogether,  I  think  I  should  not  he- 
sitate in  declining  it;  for  I  believe  that  preaching  the  gospel  is  a  pri- 
vilege superior  to  any  other  intrusted  to  men.  But  this  is  not  neces- 
sary, for  our  professors  preach  now  nearly  as  much  as  the  stated  pas- 
tors of  congregations.  This  being  the  case,  I  think  the  comparative 

always  first — first  everywhere,  and  first  in  everything.  His  success  was  largely 
due  to  his  conscientious  determination  always  to  do  his  best.  He  was  always 
thoroughly  prepared  for  every  exercise  in  college  and  in  the  seminary.  He 
would  be  able,  day  after  day,  when  in  the  seminary,  to  give  what  Turrettin,  our 
text-book,  calls  the  state  of  the  question ;  that  is,  the  precise  point  at  hand,  then 
all  the  arguments  in  its  support  in  their  order,  all  the  objections  and  answers  to 
them,  through  the  whole  thirty  or  forty  pages,  without  the  professor  saying  a. 
word." — Communicated  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  Joseph  Packard, D.  D.  Alexandria,  Va. 
5 


66  GRADUA TION  FROM  SEMINAR  Y.  [1819. 

usefulness  of  a  teacher  in  such  an  institution  as  this,  and  that  of  the 
generality  of  ministers,  will  not  admit  of  much  doubt.  It  is  evident 
that  the  moral  influence  of  Drs.  Alexander  and  Miller  on  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Church  is  almost  inconceivable  ;  for  they  in  a  measure  im- 
part their  own  spirit  to  each  of  their  pupils,  who  bear  it  hence  to 
spread  it  through  the  lesser  spheres  of  which  they  may  become  the 
centres.  The  very  fact,  therefore,  of  a  man  being  pious  in  this  situa- 
tion makes  him  the  means  of  incalculable  good,  j  It  seems  to  me  that 
the  heart  more  than  the  head  of  an  instructor  in  a  religious  seminary 
qualifies  or  unfits  him  for  his  station.  This  is  a  very  serious  aspect  in 
which  I  have  been  led  to  look  at  this  subject,  and  which  renders  it  so 
responsible  that  I  sometimes  fear  to  undertake  it. 

With  respect  to  my  competency  for  the  duties  of  the  situation,  I  be- 
lieve it  will  depend  more  on  diligence  than  on  natural  talent,;  My 
attention  will  not,  as  you  appear  to  suppose,  be  confined  to  the  study 
of  languages,  and  therefore  no  talent  I  may  possess  can  lie  unem- 
ployed, but  will  doubtless  be  put  to  its  utmost  strength.  It  will,  how- 
ever, be  of  great  advantage  to  me  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  become 
in  some  measure  familiar  with  the  dead  languages ;  for  I  am  con- 
vinced that  they  are  as  essential  to  a  student  as  tools  are  to  workmen 
of  a  different  kind.  I  know  I  could  have  made  a  better  choice  (for 
the  situation)  than  our  dear  professors  have  made,  but  the  risk  in  this 
respect  belongs  to  them.  I  feel  myself  too  much  disposed  to  look  on 
the  bright  side  of  every  thing  I  contemplate.  Perhaps  I  may  be  cor- 
rected of  this  error  before  I  am  gray-headed. 

As  the  event  of  this  plan  is  and  must  for  some  time  continue  to  be 
uncertain,  every  thing  does  not  depend  on  my  present  determination. 
I  do  not  think  I  have  any  right  to  dispose  of  myself,  as  I  am  not  my 
own ;  but  my  duty  is  confined  to  the  single  point  of  trying  to  find  out 
what  the  will  of  God  regarding  me  is.  I  know  no  better  way  of  learn- 
ing this  than  by  waiting  the  event — that  is,  to  take  the  preparatory 
measures  Dr.  Alexander  proposed  for  the  ensuing  year,  and  then  to 
consider  it  my  duty  to  proceed,  should  the  way  be  opened,  and  if  it 
be  closed,  consider  it  an  indication  that  my  path  lies  in  some  other 

direction. 

Your  son,  C.  HODGE. 

EXTRACT  FROM  THE  MINUTES  OF   THE  PROCEEDINGS   OF  THE   DIREC- 
TORS OF  PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  SEPT.  27,  1819. 

"  The  members  of  the  committee  who  attended  the  examinations 
were  highly  gratified,  both  with  the  manner  in  which  the  examination 
was  conducted,  and  with  the  manner  in  which  the  students  acquitted 
themselves. 


JET.  21 .]  GRAD UA  TION  FROM  SEMINAR  Y.  6j 

"The  committee,  therefore,  recommend  that  a  full  certificate  of 
their  having  passed  through  a  complete  course  of  theological  educa- 
tion, agreeably  to  the  plan  of  the  Seminary,  be  given  to  the  following 
young  gentlemen,  viz.:  George  S.  Boardman,  Remembrance  Cham- 
berlain, Samuel  S.  Davis,  John  Goldsmith,  Charles  Hodge,  William 
Nevins,  and  Aaron  D.  Lane." 

These  Diplomas  or  Certificates  of  having  passed  through 
the  entire  Seminary  course  were  publicly  distributed  to 
these  young  men  the  next  day,  September  28,  1819. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


FROM   HIS   GRADUATION  FROM   THE   SEMINARY,  SEPT.  2/,  1 819, 
TO  HIS  ELECTION  AS   PROFESSOR,  MAY  24,  1 822. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  ALEXANDER,  AND  WITH  HIS  MOTHER  AND 
BROTHER — VISIT  TO  NEW  HAVEN,  BOSTON  AND  ANDOVER — HIS  LICEN- 
SURE,  TEACHING  IN  THE  SEMINARY  AND  PREACHING  AT  LAMBERTVILLEf 
AND  EWING. 

HAVING  graduated  from  the  Seminary,  Mr.  Hodge,  in 
accordance  to  the  plan  suggested  by  Dr.  Alexander, 
now  returned  to  his  mother's  house  in  Philadelphia;  with  the 
intention  of  spending  the  winter  in  the  study  of  Hebrew,  as 
written  with  points,  with  which  Dr.  Alexander  himself  was 
not  familiar.  Mr.  Hodge  improved  this  opportunity  with 
the  utmost  diligence  under  the  valuable  tuition  of  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Banks,  D.  D.,  Professor  in  the  Theological  Seminary 
of  the  Associate  (now  United)  Presbyterian  Church — then 
situated  in  Philadelphia — and  pastor  of  the  Associate  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  that  city.  Dr.  Banks  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  not  only  a  sound  Theologian,  but  also  one  of 
the  most  eminent  Hebrew  scholars  at  that  day  in  America. 
Mr.  Hodge  also,  during  this  winter,  widened  his  education 
by  attending  upon  lectures  on  anatomy  and  physiology,  de- 
livered in  connection  with  the  medical  department  of  the 
University.  With  all  matters  connected  with  human  phy- 
siology, therapeutics,  and  the  practice  of  medicine,  he  al- 
ways continued  to  take  a  deep  interest,  and  possessed,  for  a 
layman,  an  unusual  knowledge. 
68 


/ET.  21.]  LICENSED  TO  PREACH.  69 

In  the  meantime  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Philadelphia,  at  their  meeting  in  Pittsgrove,  N.  J.; 
October  2 1st,  1819  ;  and  from  that  time  for  several  years, 
was  pretty  constantly  occupied  every  Sabbath  day  in  preach- 
ing. 

The  Minutes  of  that  Presbytery  disclose  the  following  facts 
concerning  his  connection  with  it. 

October  21,  i8ij,  Charles  Hodge  was  received  as  a  can- 
didate. "  All  the  College  studies  ;  a  Latin  Exegesis  on  the 
question  'An  Spiritus  sit  Deus  ?  '  and  a  Presbyterial  exercise 
on  2  Peter,  i :  10,  were  assigned  to  Mr.  Hodge  as  parts  of 
trial  to  be  exhibited  at  the  next  fall  meeting. 

Reading,  Pennsylvania,  October  21,  1818.  "The  above 
parts  of  trial  were  presented  and  sustained." 

Pittsgrove,  N.  J.,  October  19,  1819.  "  Lecture  on  Psalm 
liii.,  was  sustained.  Certificate  was  received  from  Professors 
in  Theological  Seminary,  stating  that  he  had,  in  a  regular 
and  creditable  manner,  completed  the  course  of  study  pre- 
scribed by  the  plan  of  said  Seminary.  Examinations  on 
Natural  and  Revealed  Theology  and  Church  History  were 
sustained." 

October  20,  1819,  Charles  Hodge  and  Samuel  Cornish 
(colored)  were  licensed  on  the  same  day. 

June  2J,  1820,  Charles  Hodge  was  dismissed  to  the  care 
of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  DR.  A.  ALEXANDER. 

PHILADELPHIA,  December  16,  1819. 

Dear  Sir : — Your  kindness  to  me  has  been  so  great  and  so  uniform 
that  I  now  feel  as  though  I  peculiarly  belonged  to  you,  and  (though 
you  may  not  be  very  anxious  to  acknowledge  your  property)  this  feel- 
ing constrains  me  to  tell  you  the  little  I  have  done  since  I  left  your 
more  immediate  care.  I  was  licensed  on  the  2oth  of  October.  Since 
then  I  have  preached  every  Sabbath,  and  usually  twice,  and  have 
now  to  preach  regularly  at  the  Falls  of  the  Schuylkill  in  the  morning 
and  at  the  Arsenal  in  the  afternoon  of  each  Sabbath.  As  October 
was  my  vacation,  I  did  nothing  as  to  studying  during  that  month. 


70  STUDIES  IN  PHILADELPHIA.  [1819. 

But  early  in  November  I  commenced  attending  Dr.  Banks,  and  recite 
to  him  five  days  in  the  week.  Finding  the  points  required  so  much 
attention,  I  was  obliged  to  devote  myself  to  them  almost  exclusively 
for  four  or  five  weeks,  and  therefore  did  little  else  than  go  through 
the  grammar  and  read  the  first  four  chapters  of  Genesis  during  that 
period.  Since  then  I  have  commenced  reading  the  Psalms  and  stu- 
dying Greek,  and  now  recite  alternately  the  Greek  and  Hebrew.  I 
have  not  been  able  to  read  a  great  deal  since  I  came  to  town.  Two 
of  the  volumes  of  Home's  Introduction,  Lowth's  Lectures,  and  three 
hundred  pages  in  Glassius,  together  with  one  or  two  smaller  works, 
include  all  I  have  yet  had  time  to  get  through  with.  Your  books 
have  been  of  the  greatest  assistance  to  me,  Opitius  and  Bythner 
especially. 

Dr.  Banks  is  very  much  what  you  said  he  was.  He  will  talk  all 
day  on  any  thing  connected  with  Hebrew.  It  is  quite  amusing  to  see 
his  zeal  on  the  subject,  especially  for  the  points  and  accents,  to  the  last 
of  which  he  has  devoted  years  of  study,  and  which  he  estimates  rather, 
I  suspect,  from  the  labor  they  cost  him  than  from  their  real  utility, 
which,  however,  may  still  be  great.  He  is  very  anxious  to  show  me 
the  "curiosities"  of  this  system  of  the  accentuation,  which  he  thinks 
does  every  thing,  regulating  the  rhetorical  and  grammatical  con- 
struction, pointing  out  the  ellipsis,  indicating  the  emotions,  &c. 

Will  you  be  so  kind  as  in  some  way  to  let  me  know  whether  you 
approve  of  the  plan  I  am  pursuing,  and  what  books  you  wish  me  to 
read  after  I  finish  this  volume  of  Glassius.  I  am  sensible  that  I  am 
asking  you  to  add  to  the  debt  of  kindness  I  already  owe  you,  and 
which,  although  I  can  never  repay  you,  it  will  be  the  pleasure  of  my 
life  to  feel  and  acknowledge.  What  Greek  Lexicon  had  I  better  ob- 
tain— Schrevelius  being  the  only  one  I  have  ?  Please  remember  me 
most  affectionately  to  Mrs.  Alexander  and  the  boys.  Tell  little  Jea- 
nette  she  must  not  forget  me. 

And  now,  sir,  may  I  ask  you  sometimes  to  pray  for  me  ?  This  is  a 
favor  of  which  I  am  utterly  unworthy  but  which  I  greatly  need.  You 
must  excuse  my  asking  so  much.  lYou  do  not  know,  sir,  how  much 
I  owe  you,  and  no  one  can  know ;  but  I  hope  God  will  reward  you 
openly.  I  am  yours, 

C.  HODGE. 


DR.  A.  ALEXANDER  TO  MR.  HODGE. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  22,  1819. 

My  Dear  Sir:— Yours  of  the  i6th  instant  I  have  received,  and  the 
only  thing  in  it  which  I  dislike  is  the  anxiety  which  you  discover  that 


JET.  22.]  STUDIES  IN  PHILADELPHIA.  7 1 

you  may  not  be  troublesome  by  the  length  of  your  letter.  There  is 
not  the  least  occasion  for  any  apprehension  of  this  sort.  The  mere 
reading  of  letters  is  never  burdensome,  and  I  have  wished  and  ex- 
pected a  communication  from  you  for  some  time. 

V-That  I  take  a  lively  interest  in  your  welfare  and  usefulness  I  need 
not  tell  you,  and  of  course  I  wish  to  know  what  you  are  doing,  and 
what  progress  you  are  making  in  your  Biblical  studies.  The  informa- 
tion communicated  in  your  letter  on  this  subject  is  very  gratifying  to 
me.  I  entirely  approve  the  plan  which  you  are  pursuing,  except,  per- 
haps, that  the  Greek  recitations  might  be  dispensed  with,  and  the 
whole  of  your  recitations  with  Dr.  Banks  for  this  winter  might  profita- 
bly be  in  the  Hebrew.  Although  I  have  not  the  least  confidence  in 
this  whole  system  of  punctuation,  and  especially  of  accentuation,  yet 
I  am  satisfied  that  you  should  acquire  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the 
whole  system ;  and  as  this  winter  may  be  the  only  opportunity  of  en- 
joying the  advantages  of  Dr.  Banks'  instructions,  my  opinion  is  that 
it  should  be  improved  in  reference  to  this  object.  Not  that  I  would 
have  you  neglect  the  Greek,  but  I  do  not  perceive  the  great  advan- 
tage of  your  reciting  on  it,  as  there  are  no  "  curiosities  "  in  that  lan- 
guage which  you  may  not  learn  at  home.  In  answer  to  your  inquiry 
respecting  a  proper  Greek  Lexicon  to  be  purchased,  I  would  say  that 
for  the  N.  T.,  Schleusner  should  be  preferred ;  but  if  you  mean  for 
classical  Greek,  Morell  is,  I  suppose  the  best.  Hereafter  you  must 
have  Suiceri  Thesaurus  Ecc.  Suidas  and  Hesychius.  I  learn  that 
Schleusner  has  published  a  new  and  improved  edition  of  Birel's  The- 
saurus of  the  LXX.  That  will  be  valuable ;  also  Trommius'  Concord- 
ance. But  there  is  no  advantage  in  accumulating  too  many  books  at 
once. 

Mr.  Wisner  left  with  me  some  volumes  of  De  Moor,  purchased  for 
you,  and  with  his  consent  I  presume  on  yours  to  retain  all  except  the 
first  three,  until  you  have  read  them.  It  so  happened  that  these  first 
volumes  were  already  in  my  possession.  You  will  find  the  head  De 
Scriptura  well  worth  perusal. 

It  is  my  plan  that  you  should  spend  the  next  summer  at  this  place, 
but  it  is  not  sufficiently  matured  to  give  details.  Keep  this,  however, 
in  mind. 

I  send  you  the  second  volume  of  Glassius  with  De  Moor.  The 
third  is  the  most  interesting,  but  you  must  read  the  second  first.  Read 
Kennicotfs  Dissertation,  De  Rossis  Prolegomena  to  Various  Read- 
ings, Wettsteiris  and  Griesbactis  Prolegomena,  &c. 

Yours  affectionately, 

A.  ALEXANDER. 


72  JOURNAL.  [1819. 

After  his  licensure,  Mr.  Hodge  was  appointed  by  the 
Presbytery  to  missionary  work.  He  had  appointments 
every  Sabbath  morning  at  the  "  Falls  "  of  the  Schuylkill,  and 
later  at  Cohocksink,  and  on  the  afternoons  at  the  Arsenal. 
In  connection  with  a  record  of  these  services  he  kept  the 
only  religious  diary  of  his  life./  Some  specimens  of  this 
are  here  given. 

On  Wednesday  evening,  October  2oth,  1819,  I  preached  my  trial 
sermon  at  Pittsgrove,  before  the  Philadelphia  Presbytery.  Though 
the  Lord  had  kindly  afforded  me  solemn  feelings  in  view  of  my  en- 
trance on  the  ministry,  yet  I  found  my  heart  but  little  engaged  during 
the  time  of  service.  The  circumstances  in  which  I  was  placed  gave 
rise  to  feelings  of  anxiety  which  prevented  my  weak  principle  of  grace 
from  being  exercised  as  it  should  have  been.  My  text  was  Rom.  viii. 
i.  The  succeeding  morning,  October  2ist,  I  was  licensed  to  preach 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  Oh !  that  I  may  ever  look  upon  this  high 
vocation  with  the  same  feelings  with  which  the  Apostle  Paul  ever  re- 
garded it,  and  may  the  Lord  Jesus  work  within  me  all  the  good  plea- 
sure of  his  will,  making  me  such  a  minister  as  He  would  have  me  to 
be. 

Sabbath,  October  24th,  1819. — The  preceding  evening  I  rode  out  to 
Frankford  and  enjoyed  sweet  intercourse  with  my  dear  brother 
Biggs.  The  prospect  of  preaching  on  the  ensuing  day  kept  my  mind 
serious,  and  gave  to  our  conversation  more  of  the  religious  character 
than  usual.  In  the  morning  I  preached  on  the  53d  Psalm.  I  enjoyed 
the  service  myself  far  more  than  I  did  when  preaching  before  Presby- 
tery, and  the  people  appeared  quite  serious  and  attentive.  Whether, 
however,  the  least  good  was  accomplished  must  be  left  to  the  revela- 
tions of  the  great  day.  My  prayer  is  for  humility  and  zeal.  The  af- 
ternoon in  Brother  Thomas  Biggs'  room.  In  the  evening  he 
preached  from  Gal.  v.  6. 

Sabbath,  October  jist,  1819,  was  spent  in  Woodbury.  I  went  down 
the  preceding  evening,  and  was  kindly  entertained  at  Judge  Cald- 
well's.  In  the  morning  I  preached  from  John  iii.  36.  Many  of  the 
people  appeared  attentive  and  serious.  I  know  not  what  good  was 
done.  For  myself,  I  did  not  enjoy  the  services  as  much  as  usual,  j 
dined  with  Mr.  White,  and  did  not  introduce  religious  conversation. 
May  God  pity  my  weakness,  and  enable  me  to  be  more  faithful  here- 
after. In  the  evening  I  preached  from  the  53d  Psalm.  The  audience 
was  large  and  very  attentive.  The  Lord  granted  me  more  feeling  and 
ease  than  I  had  enjoyed  in  the  morning.  The  fear  of  man,  and  the 


JET.  22.]  JOURNAL.  73 

desire  of  applause,  God  in  great  mercy  has  hitherto  kept  from  greatly 
disturbing  me,  especially  in  the  pulpit.  I  feel  myself  entirely  depend- 
ent on  His  sovereign  grace  for  the  continuance  and  increase  of  this 
great  mercy.  Were  He  to  let  me  alone,  I  should  indeed  become 
dreadfully  corrupt  in  practice  as  well  as  in  heart.  Bless  the  Lord,  O 
my  soul. 

Sabbath,  Nov.  jtk,  i8ig. — The  preceding  day  I  rode  up  to  Abing- 
ton  with  Mr.  Steele.  Here  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  several  times 
good  Mrs.  Tennant,  and  had  the  privilege  of  praying  by  her  bedside, 
and  of  witnessing  the  composure  and  peace  of  one  who  had  the  hope 
of  the  gospel.  Oh,  precious  Saviour,  grant  to  my  soul  and  the  souls 
of  all  my  friends  the  powerful  supports  of  Thy  grace  in  the  hour  of 
death.  *  *  * 

Sabbath,  Nov.  21,  i8ig. — This  day  I  entered  on  my  duties  as  mis- 
sionary. Oh,  Thou  source  of  all  good,  grant  me  the  continued  aid  of 
Thy  grace,  that  with  purity  of  motive  and  singleness  of  object  I  may 
zealously  and  faithfully  discharge  my  responsible  duties.  Do  bless 
me,  O  my  God.  I  rode  out  in  the  morning  to  the  Falls  with  Gerard 
R.,  and  was  very  much  pleased  and  surprised  by  hjs  religious  turn  of 
mind,  and  the  interest  he  took  in  the  institutions  of  piety.  I  preached 
from  the  53d  Psalm  to  a  small  but  respectable  audience.  In  the  af- 
ternoon I  rode  out  to  the  Arsenal,  and  spoke  from  the  parable  of  the 
Great  Supper,  Luke  xiv.  15.  This  was  a  pleasant  season.  I  hope  the 
Lord  was  there.  Oh,  incline  that  people  to  hear  and  obey  the  invita- 
tions of  Thy  gospel. 

The  evening  Bro.  Davis  and  myself  spent  in  our  room  in  delight- 
ful intercourse.  The  Lord  blessed  us.  We  prayed  together  before 
we  separated,  as  on  the  succeeding  day  he  expects  to  sail  for  Charles- 
ton. Good  and  powerful  God  attend  and  bless  him  abundantly  in 
Jesus  Christ. 

Nov.  28th,  1819. — Sabbath  morning  I  rode  out  to  the  Falls  with 
Gerard  R.,  and  there  preached  from  John  iii.  36.  The  congregation 
was  not  very  large,  and  my  feelings  were  cold.  I  dined  with  Mr. 
Thomson,  who  accompanied  me  in  the  afternoon  to  the  Arsenal, 
where  I  preached  from  Rom.  viii.  I  with  somewhat  more  pleasure  to 
myself  than  in  the  morning. 

\During  this  sacred  day  I  have  experienced  very  little  spiritual  en-  \ 
joyment ;  my  heart  has  been  too  far  from  God,  and  worldly  thoughts 
have  too  much  occupied  my  mind.  This  I  suspect  has  arisen  from 
my  conduct  during  the  past  week.  It  is  impossible  to  gain  and  lose 
at  pleasure  spirituality  of  mind.  It  must  be  cultivated  constantly. 
Let  not,  my  soul,  the  end  of  the  week  you  now  have  entered  find  you 
still  at  such  a  distance  from  God.  Oh,  Holy  Spirit,  return  unto  Thy 


74  JOURNAL.  [1820. 

rest!  Deign  to  make  my  bosom  Thine  abode — and  O  attend  my 
feeble  preaching  by  Thy  almighty  energy,  for  Jesus'  sake.  *  *  * 

Sabbath,  Dec.  26,  i8ig. — During  the  preceding  week  I  had  preached 
for  Dr.  Janeway  in  his  new  session  room.  As  this  was  the  first  time 
1  had  preached  in  the  city  (excepting  once  for  Bro.  Platt),  I  felt  much 
too  anxious  to  acquit  myself  well,  and  was  disappointed.  The  eve- 
ning was  unusually  rainy,  and  there  were  consequently  few  persons 
present.  Among  them,  however,  was  my  dear  brother,  who  had  just 
returned  from  Calcutta.  This  made  me  feel  less  at  ease  than  I  might 
otherwise  have  done.  But  the  chief  cause  of  my  not  enjoying  the 
service  was  doubtless  my  pride.  I  felt  almost  depressed  under  the 
apprehension  that  I  should  never  become  even  a  moderately  accept- 
able preacher.  I  would  give  the  world  were  my  desire  of  honoring 
Christ  and  of  saving  souls  so  strong  that  I  should  be  indifferent  to 
what  related  merely  to  myself.  Oh,  cast  me  not  off  from  Thy  pre- 
sence ;  take  not  Thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me.  Oh,  grant  to  my  bro- 
ther unfeigned  piety.  Would  to  God  I  might  be  made  a  blessing  to 
his  soul. 

Sabbath,  Feb.  ij,  1820. — This  day  my  regular  ministrations  at  Co- 
hocksink  were  commenced.  The  audience  not  very  numerous,  but 
serious.  The  children  of  the  Sabbath  School  form  an  important  part 
of  my  charge.  It  is  often  quite  unknown  at  how  early  an  age  God 
commences  a  work  of  grace  in  the  heart,  and  it  may  happen  that 
many  children  have  utterly  lost  that  impression  through  the  careless- 
ness of  their  parents  and  teachers.  May  I  be  taught  of  God  that  I 
may  be  able  to  teach  others  also.  It  is  only  the  heart  that  has  been 
deeply  exercised  in  divine  things  which  can  enable  us  to  preach  ex- 
perimentally to  others. '_  Piety  is  the  life  of  a  minister. !  *  *  * 

Sabbath,  May  14,  1820. — I  preached  my  last  sermon  this  morning 
to  the  people  of  Cohocksink.  In  the  afternoon  at  the  Arsenal  my  text 
was  "Lay  hold  on  eternal  life."  This  was  an  interesting  season. 
The  presence  of  a  considerable  number  of  young  men  gave  a  cast  to 
my  train  of  thought  which  interested  my  own  feelings,  and  fixed  in  a 
great  measure  the  attention  of  my  hearers.1  I  have  yet  once  more  to 
preach  to  that  people,  and  may  it  prove  as  a  seal  to  all  the  rest.  I 
have  almost  uniformly  found  that  when  I  have  commenced  a  service 
under  a  little  depression  of  spirits,  it  has  proved  more  than  usually 
pleasantV, 

APPOINTMENT  AS  TEACHER  IN  THE  SEMINARY. 
In   their    Report  to  the  Board  of  Directors,  May  15^ 
1820,  the  Professors  say:  "  The  Professors  respectfully  repre- 
sent to  the  Board  that  in  their  opinion  the  interests  of  the 


MT.  22.]      APPOINTED   TEACHER  IK  THE  SEMINARY.        75 

Seminary  require  a  distinct  teacher  of  the  original  languages 
of  the  Scripture.  The  Professor,  who  has  attended  to  this 
branch  of  instruction,  finds  that  it  interferes  with  the  perform- 
ance of  duties  which  more  properly  belong  to  his  office ; 
and  that  he  cannot,  consistently  with  his  health,  devote  to 
it  that  degree  of  attention  which  its  importance  demands." 

The  above  Report  was  committed  to  Drs.  Romeyn,  Neill 
and  Rodgers ;  to  whom  were  subsequently  added  Drs. 
Woodhull,  Rice  and  McDowell  and  Mr.  Lewis. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  in  Philadelphia,  May  25th, 
that  Committee  made  the  following  report,  which  was 
adopted  : — "  That  although  the  suggestion  of  the  Professors 
on  the  subject  of  appointing  a  teacher  of  the  original  lan- 
guages appears  to  be  important,  yet  the  state  of  the  funds 
renders  it  inexpedient  for  this  Board  to  endeavor  to  carry  it 
into  effect  at  present. 

"  Resolved  that  an  extract  of  this  minute,  together  with 
that  part  of  the  Professors'  report,  which  relates  to  this  sub- 
ject, be  laid  before  the  General  Assembly." 

On  the  next  day,  May  26th,  the  General  Assembly,  while 
approving  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  resolved 
"  That  the  Professors  be  authorized  to  employ  an  assistant 
teacher  of  the  original  languages  of  Scripture,  until  the 
meeting  of  the  next  General  Assembly.  Provided  a  suitable 
person  can  be  obtained  at  a  salary  consistent  with  the  funds 
of  the  Seminary ;  and  provided  also  that  such  salary  does 
not  exceed  the  sum  of  four  hundred  dollars." 

This  authority  having  been  obtained,  the  Professors  ap- 
pointed Mr.  Hodge,  who  came  into  Princeton  on  horseback 
to  prepare  for  his  work,  in  the  latter  part  of  June. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  June  22d,  1820. 

My  Dear  Mother : — I  suspect  the  heat  of  yesterday  made  you  re- 
gret my  having  commenced  so  long  a  ride.  But  I  suffered  less  than 
I  expected.  I  got  to  Frankford  before  seven,  and  stayed  for  break- 


76  LIFE  AS  TEACHER.  [1820. 

fast.  Mr.  Biggs  then  rode  with  me  about  nine  miles.  When  we 
reached  Holmesburgh,  which  is  four  miles  from  Frankford,  I  found 
the  sun  so  excessively  hot,  that  we  stopped  at  a  store,  and  I  bought  a 
great  sheet  of  paste-board,  and  cutting  a  hole  in  it  large  enough  to 
admit  my  hat,  pinned  it  on.  This  effectually  preserved  my  head  and 
most  of  my  body  from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun.  I  was  quite 
amused  to  see  the  people  along  the  road  stop,  lay  down  their  work, 
and  stare  after  me  as  long  as  I  was  in  sight.  Some  laughed  right 
out.  And  as  for  Bristol,  I  thought  that  I  never  should  have  got 
through  it.  I  had  courage  enough,  however,  to  be  looked  at  and 
laughed  at,  rather  than  be  made  sick  by  the  heat.  By  riding  slowly, 
and  stopping  frequently,  I  arrived  here,  but  little  fatigued,  about  eight 
o'clock.  Your  affectionate  son,  CHARLES  HODGE. 

He  now  boarded  in  the  family  of  his  paternal  friend,  Dr. 
Alexander,  and  had  his  study  and  bed-room  in  that  wing  of 
the  old  residence  of  the  Doctor,  which  had  been  used  as 
a  study,  and  in  which  he  was  first  abruptly  informed  of  the 
Doctor's  plans  concerning  him.  He  at  this  time  also  began 
to  suffer  from  that  obscure  and  painful  affection  of  the  nerves 
of  his  right  thigh  which  afterwards  so  greatly  modified  his  * 
habits  of  life. 

Extract  from  Records  of  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick. 
July  5th,  1820,  Mr.  Charles  Hodge  was  received  as  a  licen- 
tiate from  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  by  certificate. 
He  was  appointed  the  supply  of  the  Church  in  New  Bruns- 
wick, and  the  united  Churches  of  Georgetown  and  Lam- 
bertville  a  number  of  Sabbaths  during  the  year. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  July  10,  1820. 

My  Dear  Brother : — My  situation  here  is  as  pleasant  as  even  my 
fondest  wishes  had  desired.  I  have  a  pleasant  room  at  the  upper 
end  of  town,  and  board  with  Dr.  Alexander's  family.  This  I  find  a 
very  advantageous  arrangement,  as  the  intercourse  I  enjoy  with  the 
Doctor  cannot  fail  of  being  very  profitable.  I  take  a  good  deal  of 
exercise,  think  my  horse  the  best  in  the  world,  and  am  very  well. 
The  rheumatism  in  my  limb,  I  think,  continues  pretty  much  as  it 
was.  I  feel  it  most  in  my  knee ;  it  seems  to  be  brought  on  pretty  uni- 
formly, by  fatigue.  Excepting  a  slight  weakness,  however,  it  is  still 
as  serviceable  as  the  other.  Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 


^rr.  22.]  VISIT  TO  BOSTON.  Jj 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  September  i8th,  1820. 

My  Dear  Mother : — On  Saturday  I  rode  to  Bristol,  and  preached 
yesterday  twice  in  their  Episcopal  Church.  They  have  been  without 
a  pastor  for  some  years,  and  though  the  population  of  the  town  is  so 
considerable,  they  have  only  casual  preaching.  They  are  so  liberal 
in  their  sentiments,  that  they  seldom  stop  to  inquire  to  what  denom- 
ination a  man  belongs  ;  if  he  is  willing  to  preach,  they  are  willing  to 
hear. 

I  am  very  well :  my  riding  so  much  gives  me  a  color,  which  has  led 
to  many  congratulations  as  to  the  state  of  my  health.  My  limb  was, 
I  think,  a  good  deal  better,  but  I  believe  I  walked  too  much  with  it 
of  late,  which  has  occasioned  a  return  of  the  pain.  I  intend  to  be 
more  careful'  on  this  point;  and  continue  diligent  in  observing  the 
Doctor's  (his  brother  Hugh)  directions. 

VISIT  TO  BOSTON. 

In  October  of  this  year  his  friend,  Mr.  Benjamin  Wisner, 
afterwards  the  eloquent  preacher  and  distinguished  Secre- 
tary of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,  was  invited  to  preach  as  a  candidate  before  the 
Old  South  Church  of  Boston.  Mr.  Wisner  and  Mr.  Hodge 
made  a  plan  of  riding  there  together,  and  after  remaining  in 
that  attractive  city  three  weeks,  of  returning  *in  the  same 
manner,  including  a  visit  to  New  Haven  and  Yale  College  on 
the  way.  They  effected  the  journey  in  Mr.  Hodge's  old- 
fashioned  two-wheeled  gig,  on  springs,  shaped  like  the 
letter  C,  a  form  of  conveyance  now  utterly  extinct.  They 
were  drawn  by  his  small  bay  horse,  of  Canadian  extraction, 
of  whose  fine  qualities  he  often  subsequently  boasted.  The 
two  letters  to  his  mother,  subjoined,  contain  all  the  infor- 
mation now  remaining,  as  to  this  visit,  which  produced  a 
decided  impression  on  himself. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

BOSTON,  Monday,  October  9,  1820. 

My  Dear  Mother : — I  presume  you  are  by  this  time  anxious  to  learn 
something  of  your  traveller.  I  should  have  written  to  you  on  the 


78  VISIT  TO  BOSTON.  [1820. 

way,  had  you  not  told  me  you  could  wait  until  we  reached  Boston. 
We  came  within  five  or  six  miles  of  the  town  on  Friday  evening,  but 
did  not  proceed,  as  it  was  then  quite  dark,  and  both  our  horse  and 
ourselves  were  fatigued  by  a  long  day's  ride.  It  would,  indeed, 
hardly  have  been  safe  to  have  entered  a  strange  city  in  the  dark  and 
without  a  guide.  It  was  about  eight  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning 
when  we  first  saw  the  distant  spires  of  Boston,  and  the  lofty  dome  of 
the  State  House.  The  view  excited  a  variety  of  pleasing  and  serious 
emotions.  After  changing  our  dress  we  called  upon  Mr.  (deacon) 
Cutler,  the  gentleman  whom  Wisner  had  seen  in  Princeton.  We 
were  soon  introduced  to  Mr.  Salisbury,  the  Lieutenant  Governor,  Mr. 
Welsh,  and  to  several  other  gentlemen,  who  all  received  us  with  the 
utmost  kindness.  I  had  met  with  Mr.  Dwight,  (son  of  the  late  Presi- 
dent), at  New  Haven,  and  he  had  made  me  promise  to  consider  his 
house  as  my  home  while  I  remained  in  Boston.  As  the  weather  had 
detained  Mr.  Dwight  from  home  longer  than  he  had  expected,  it  was 
my  wish  to  have  either  remained  at  the  public  house,  or  to  have  gone 
with  Wisner  to  the  house  of  the  widow  of  the  late  pastor,  as  a  boarder. 
But  finding  that  either  of  these  plans  would  have  wounded  the  hos- 
pitable feelings  of  these  good  people,  I  was  obliged  to  remain  with 
Mr.  Cutler  until  Mr.  Dwight  returns.  There  is  no  danger  of  our  not 
receiving  kindness  and  attention  enough.  The  danger  is  entirely  on 
the  other  side. 

I  have  been  very  agreeably  disappointed  in  the  general  appearance 
of  Boston.  I  have,  to  be  sure,  as  yet  seen  only  the  -southern  section 
of  the  town,  wlych  is  much  the  most  pleasant.  The  green  they  call 
their  Common,  and  the  hill  on  which  the  State  House  stands  exceeds 
anything  I  have  ever  seen.  As  Saturday  was  so  clear,  the  gentlemen 
who  were  with  us  thought  it  best  to  improve  the^opportunity  by  going 
to  the  top  of  the  State  House.  On  reaching  this  elevated  point  our 
eyes  rested  on  what  is  thought  the  finest  prospect  in  America.  Bos- 
ton, Charlestown  and  Cambridge  were  all  below  us ;  the  harbor,  with 
its  many  islands,  and  the  broad  ocean  full  in  view,  altogether  forms 
a  combination  of  the  beautiful  and  grand,  which  makes  the  Bostoni- 
ans  willing  to  enter  into  a  competition  with  the  admirers  of  the  Bay 
of  Naples. 

Wisner  preached  twice  yesterday  for  the  Old  South  people.  As 
far  as  I  can  judge,  the  impression  has  been  universally  favorable.  I 
preached  morning  and  afternoon  in  the  Park  Street  Church,  which  is 
Mr.  D wight's  charge. 

The  kindest  providence  has  presided  over  our  journey.  We  met 
with  no  accident,  alarm,  or  difficulty.  Our  little  horse  came  as 
briskly  into  Boston  as  he  did  out  of  Princeton.  We  spent  two  days 


XT.  22.]  VISIT  TO  BOSTON.  79 

and  a  half  at  New  Haven.  Dr.  Miller's  letter  secured  us  every  at- 
tention we  could  wish.  We  were  there,  as  usual,  soon  obliged  to 
leave  the  tavern,  andlstay  with  Mr.  Taylor,*  a  young  minister,  who  is 
the  pride  of  the  southern  part  of  Connecticut.  We  found  this  one  of 
the  most  improving  incidents  in  our  journey,  as  this  young  man 
(about  thirty),  who  possesses  uncommonly  fine  talents,  differs  very 
considerably  in  his  theoretical  opinions  from  the  Princeton  gentlemen. 
He  kept  us  pretty  constantly  in  an  animated  though  temperate  dis- 
cussion of  our  differences.  We  have  been  delighted  with  the  general 
aspect  of  things,  and  with  the  face  of  the  country  in  New  England, 
particularly  in  Connecticut. 

I  am  well,  excepting  my  limb,  which,  however,  is  considerably 
better  than  it  was.  I  will  write  again  before  we  leave  Boston. 

Your  loving  son,  C.  H. 

The  people  of  the  Old  South  Church  were  delighted  with, 
and  eventually  called  Mr.  Wisner  to  be  their  pastor.  But 
they  required  him,  according  to  their  custom,  to  preach  as 
a  probationer  four  Sabbaths.  Therefore  Mr.  Hodge  left 
his  friend,  and  came  on  to  meet  the  duties  of  a  new  session 
in  Princeton,  bringing  Mr.  John  Maclean,  afterwards  Pre- 
sident of  Princeton  College,  in  the  vacant  seat  in  his  gig. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

NEAR  BOSTON,  October  25th,  1820. 

My  Dear  Mother: — If  praising  New  England  will  do  you  any 
good,  you  shall  have  enough  of  it  when  I  get  home.  I  have  now  left 
Boston.  Mr.  Wisner  has  remained.  It  was  his  intention  when  he 
came  here,  to  have  spent  only  three  Sabbaths,  but  he  has  found  the 
universal  custom  of  the  country  requires  that  he  should  stay  at  least 
four  weeks,  which  custom  he  has  the  more  willingly  submitted  to,  as 
his  cold  prevented  his  preaching  more  than  once  on  the  second  Sab- 
bath he  was  in  Boston.  You  know  it  was  our  intention  to  return  by 
way  of  Albany,  but  we  had  heard  so  much  of  the  extreme  hilliness 
of  the  country,  we  were  almost  afraid  to  attempt  it.  The  necessity 
of  making  the  experiment  being  removed  by  the  detention  of  Mr. 
Wisner,  I  determined  to  take  the  direct  road  home,  which  will  save 

*  Nathaniel  W.  Taylor,  D.D.,  afterwards  Professor  of  Theology  in  Yale  Col- 
lege, and  author  of  the  modification  of  New  England  Theology,  called  "  Taylor- 
ism,"  against  which  the  polemic  guns  of  the  Princeton  Review  were  trained  for 
forty  years. 


8o  VISIT  TO  BOSTON*  [1820. 

me  nearly  a  week.  Happily  Mr.  Maclean,  tutor  in  Princeton  Col- 
lege, was  in  Boston  and. anxious  to  return,  and  has  therefore  taken 
the  vacant  seat  in  the  gig 

Of  the  first  thirteen  days  we  spent  in  Boston,  only  two  were  fair ; 
it  rained  and  blew  from  the  East  almost  incessantly.  The  good  peo- 
ple here  did  all  they  could  to  apologize  for  the  weather,  assuring  us 
that  such  a  season  had  never  before  been  known.  But  that  did  not 
mend  the  matter.  The  great  inconvenience  we  felt  was  that  we  were 
prevented  from  visiting  the  adjacent  places,  as  Salem,  Cambridge, 
Andover,  &c.  The  Lieutenant  Governor  kindly  offered  to  take  us 
over  to  Cambridge  and  introduce  us  to  the  President  of  the  Univer- 
sity. But  the  weather  prevented,  until  Monday  last,  when  we  rode 
over  and  were  introduced  to  Dr.  Kirkland  and  several  of  the  profes- 
sors. I  handed  the  Doctor  Mr.  Astley's  letter,  and  young  as  we 
were  he  kindly  attended  us  over  all  their  spacious  building.  The 
compliment  of  his  personal  attendance  we  no  doubt  owed  to  the  pre- 
sence of  his  Honor,  the  Lieutenant  Governor.  Dr.  Kirkland  seems 
to  be  one  of  the  happiest  men  in  the  world,  always  disposed  to  say 
pleasant  things,  and  is  entirely  free  from  anything  which  would  in- 
dicate that  he  believes,  what  those  around  him  believe,  that  he  is  a 
great  man. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  spending  a  tantalizing  hour  with  Mr.  Everett. 
I  had  intended,  after  the  first  visit  was  paid,  to  make  an  effort  to  see 
him  frequently.  But  the  weather,  by  preventing  our  first  visit  from 
being  made  in  season,  broke  in  upon  this  plan.  I  regret  this  very 
much,  for  I  am  satisfied  that  it  would  have  been  of  essential  service 
to  have  seen  more  of  this  extraordinary  young  man. 

Several  circumstances  besides  the  state  of  the  weather,  induced  us 
to  postpone  our  visit  to  Andover  until  Friday  last,  particularly  the 
absence  of  all  the  professors,  except  Dr.  Woods.  I  considered  that 
the  missing  of  Professor  Stuart  would  frustrate  the  primary  object  of 
my  visit.  You  may  judge,  then,  how  much  I  was  rejoiced  to  hear, 
about  an  hour  after  we  reached  Andover,  that  he  had  just  returned. 
We  spent  the  evening  with  him,  and  returned  the  next  day  to  Bos- 
ton, as  our  arrangements  made  necessary.  On  Monday  afternoon, 
however,  I  went  up  again  and  remained  with  him  until  this  morning, 

S Wednesday).  I  think  Stuart  is  the  most  interesting  man  I  have 
een  in  New  England.  He  is  kind,  sociable,  condescending  and 
communicative ;  free  from  all  formality,  he  becomes  your  friend  at 
once.  His  talents  are  of  the  first  order,  and  no  man  in  the  country 
has  made  any  progress  comparable  to  his  in  the  department  of  Bibli- 
cal literature.  He  has  done  me  great  good,  has  marked  out  my  road, 
and  told  me  the  right  path,  and  enlarged  my  views  as  to  the  extent 


jet.  22.]  LIFE  AS  TEACffEJt.  8  I 

and  importance  of  the  study,  more  than  I  could  have  conceived  it 
possible.  He  told  me  he  had  lost  at  least  three  years  by  taking  a 
wrong  course  at  first.  I  am  persuaded  that  it  would  be  the  best 
thing  I  could  do  to  spend  a  year  with  such  a  man.  But  it  is  impos- 
sible. I  will  .write  to  him,  however,  and  see  him  as  often  as  I  can. 

The  Doctor  (his  brother  Hugh)  wants  to  know  whether  I  think  the 
people  here  more  intelligent  and  better  informed  than  they  are  with 
us.  I  do,  most  decidedly,  and  the  ladies  beyond  comparison.  They 
are  hospitable,  and  as  attentive  to  strangers  as  they  well  can  be.  It 
is  true,  we  came  under  peculiarly  favorable  circumstances,  and 
therefore,  perhaps,  have  been  the  more,  struck  with  the  propriety  of 
calling  Boston  the  clergyman's  paradise.  Mr.  Wisner,  of  course,  is 
just  now  the  object  of  much  interest,  and  through  him  I  have  re- 
ceived much  of  kindness  and  attention.  We  are  now  thirteen  miles 
out  of  Boston,  on  the  road  to  New  Haven. 

Your  affectionate  son,         CHARLES  HODGE. 

In  New  Haven,  Mr.  Hodge  called  again  on  Mr.  Taylor, 
and  with  his  fellow  traveler,  Mr.  Maclean,  reached  Prince- 
ton again  without  serious  misadventure. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Nov.  2ist,  1820. 

My  Dear  Brother : —  ....  This,  considering  my  six  recita- 
tions, is  doing  very  well.  I  wish  to  apprize  you  that  all  the  indigna- 
tion you  may  feel  for  my  being  thus  oppressed,  is  due  to  me,  as  I 
have  had  the  sole  direction  of  the  whole  business,  excepting  that  the 
Doctor  (Alexander)  was  kind  enough  to  prevent  my  going  further. 
But  you  need  not  be  uneasy.  Most  of  my  duties  of  this  class  are  of 
such  a  nature,  that  I  can  get  through  them  with  very  little  study, 
while  at  the  same  time  I  might  spend  a  week  on  each  to  great  ad- 
vantage. Thus  I  shall  be  able  to  accommodate  my  exertions  to  my 
strength.  I  never  knew,  until  I  undertook  it,  that  hearing  a  class  of 
twenty  or  thirty  students  recite  is  one  of  the  most  fatiguing  things  in 
the  world.  The  unbroken  attention  you  are  obliged  to  pay  for  an 
hour  and  a  half  together,  and  the  necessity  of  talking  a  good  deal, 
withal,  is  more  tiresome  than  any  one  who  has  not  felt  it  would  ima- 
gine. There  is  another  thing  which  adds  to  the  exertion,  which  is, 
that  these  students  are  men  well  informed  and  not  easily  satisfied, 
and  not  likely  to  let  a  mistake  pass  unobserved.  I  feel  this  difficulty 
a  good  deal  in  Greek,  as  almost  all  the  students  have  been  studying 
the  language  for  years,  and  some  of  them  have  taught  it,  but  in  He- 


82  LIFE  AS  TEACHER.  [1821. 

brew  I  have  more  the  advantage  of  them.     There  is  one  thing  greatly 
in  my  favor,  that  I  have  not  got  your  modesty  to  bother  me. 

Both  you  and  Mamma  seem  to  have  taken  up  the  idea  that  I  am  in 
a  forlorn  situation  here,  and  I  can't  tell  why.  I  feel  as  independent 
as  a  king,  and  will  contrive  some  way  to  keep  myself  warm.}  If  Dr. 
Alexander  spent  so  many  winters  in  this  dear  study,  I  suspect  you 
will  find  a  good  many  more  people  to  envy  than  to  pity  me  for  now 
possessing  it.  And  without  jesting,  it  is  much  the  most  pleasant  and 
convenient  situation  I  could  have  had  in  town. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  March  9,  1821. 

My  Dear  Brother : — We  had  the  pleasure,  last  evening,  of  hearing 
Mr.  Ward.*  If  you  have  heard  him  you  know  he  has  little  of  the 
graces  of  elocution  wherewith  to  adorn  his  discourse,  but  he  has  what 
is  far  more  important  even  for  an  orator,  a  heart  alive  to  the  import- 
ance of  the  object  for  which  he  pleads.  After  describing  the  diffi- 
culties they  had  met  in  India  twenty  years  ago,  he  told  us  how  all 
in  a  great  measure  had  been  surmounted.  The  British  government 
and  their  subjects  are  now  in  their  favor.  The  schools  connected 
with  Serampore  alone  contain  eight  thousand  children.  One  thou- 
sand of  the  natives  have  been  baptized,  and  as  a  profession  of  reli- 
gion there  involves  a  living  martyrdom,  we  may  hope  they  are  sin- 
cere converts.  But  what  is  above  and  beyond  all  is  that  they  have 
given  the  Bible  to  hundreds  of  millions  in  twenty-five  different  lan- 
guages. This  is  a  good  beyond  all  estimate.  I  never  felt  the  im- 
portance and  grandeur  of  missionary  labors  as  I  did  last  evening.  I 
could  not  help  looking  round  on  the  congregation  and  asking  myself, 
"  What  are  these  people  living  for?"  Granting  that  each  should 
attain  his  most  elevated  object,  what  would  it  all  amount  to  ?  Then 
looking  at  these  men  in  India,  giving  the  Bible  to  so  many  millions, 
which  I  know  can  never  be  in  vain,  I  see  them 'opening  a  perennial 
fountain,  which,  when  they  are  dead  for  ages,  will  still  afford  eternal 
life  to  millions.  Should  we  die,  which  of  our  works  would  we  wish 
to  follow  us  ?  Which  would  mark  our  path  or  our  grave  with  a  ray 
of  light?  "  Cut  it  down,  why  cumbereth  it  the  ground?"  is  a  sen- 
tence we  have  reason  to  dread. 

Mr.  Ward  closed  his  discourse  by  urging  all  to  join  in  advancing 
the  cause  for  which  Christ  had  poured  out  his  soul  unto  death.  Who 

*The  distinguished  Baptist  missionary,  Rev.  William  Ward,  connected  long 
and  intimately  with  Carey  and  Marshman,  ?t  Serampore,  near  Calcutta. 


MT.  23.]  LIFE  AS  TEACHER.  83 

so  loved  us  that  he  died  for  us.  And  now,  my  dear  Brother,  do  you 
not  feel  the  force  of  this  appeal.  Is  there  nothing  in  you  which 
makes  you  wish  to  make  some  return  for  such  love  as  this  ?  "  He 
that  is  not  for  me  is  against  me."  Canyon  bear  that?  Oh,  my 
Brother,  do  think  of  this.  Your  loving  brother,  C.  H. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  March  25th,  1821. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  do  not  think  you  have  any  reason  to  fear 
that  my  system  will  be  injured  by  too  much  excitement.  I  suffer 
more  pain  for  not  feeling  enough,  than  from  the  reverse.  Though  I 
have  not  the  least  expectation  of  ever  seeing  India  or  any  other  for- 
eign country,  in  the  high  character  of  a  missionary,  I  still  feel  they 
are  the  most  favored  men  in  the  world. 

Saturday  was  a  laborious  day  to  me.  I  spent  it  in  procuring  and 
setting  out  trees  in  front  of  Dr.  Alexander's  house.  We  planted  four 
tulip  poplars,  an  elm,  two  ash,  a.  hickory,  and  two  dogwood.  They 
are  beautiful  specimens.  Should  the  tulip  trees  live  they  will  be 
splendid,  for  it  is  the  handsomest  tree  in  America. 

Your  loving  brother,  C.  H. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER.  , 

PRINCETON,  April  n,  1821. 

My  Dear  Mother:  — I  have  agreed,  should  I  remain  here  next 
summer,  to  supply  pretty  constantly  the  congregation  near  New 
Hope,  (since  Lambertville,  N.  J.),  which  is  about  twenty  miles  from 
this.  The  situation  of  the  congregation  is  critical  and  interesting, 
and  the  prospect  of  doing  good  there  is  very  encouraging.  I  was 
reluctant  to  consent  to  be  away  from  Princeton  every  Sabbath,  and 
thought  it  would  take  up  too  much  of  my  time.  But  both  Dr.  Miller 
and  Dr.  Alexander  urged  it  as  conducive,  both  to  my  health  by  ex- 
ercise, and  to  my  improvement  by  diversity  of  occupation.  They 
will  both  assist  me.  So  I  shall  have,  in  the  three  months,  not  more 
than  eight  or  ten  sermons  to  preach.  Your  son,  CHARLES. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  April  2ist,  1821. 

My  Dear  Brother: — I  heard  the  other  day  from  Wisner,  in  Boston. 
He  mentions  a  most  painful  circumstance  respecting  Mr.  Everett,* 
which  must  have  wounded  his  feelings  very  much.  I  will  first  copy 

*  Edward  Everett,  then  a  Unitarian  minister,  afterwards  U.  S.  Senator,  &c. 


84  LIfE  AS  TEACHER.  [1821. 

Wisner's  words.  "  When  Mr.  Keene  was  here,  Prof.  Everett  went 
to  the  theatre.  As  he  entered  one  of  the  boxes  a  student  of  the  col- 
lege, who  was  in  the  same  box,  lifted  up  both  hands  and  said,  loud 
enough  to  be  heard  all  over  the  house,  '  Let  us  pray.'  The  whole 
audience  were  looking  at  and  talking  about  the  reverend  Professor 
till  the  curtain  rose.  The  first  act  is  finished,  the  curtain  drops ;  a 
man  in  the  pit,  standing  up  and  looking  at  the  Professor,  says  aloud, 
'  Life  is  the  time  to  serve  the  Lord.'  It  is  said  that  some  others  of  the 
clergy  had  concluded  to  go,  but  the  reception  the  reverend  Professor 
met  with  induced  them  to  abandon  their  resolution."  'This  shows 
how  deeply  rooted  are  the  modes  of  thinking  among  common  people, 
and  how  essential  consistency  of  character  is  to  respectability 7^  It  is 
probable  Everett  will  be  more  injured  in  the  estimation  of  the  people 
of  New  England  by  this  casual  occurrence,  than  anything  which  has 
happened  to  him.  There  is  quite  as  much  wickedness  as  wit  in  the 
conduct  of  the  student,  perhaps  rather  more,  but  a  great  deal  of  both. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

The  General  Assembly,  May,  1821,  passed  the  following 
resolution :  "  That  the  Assembly  approve  of  the  employing 
of  Mr.  Charles  Hodge,  by  the  professors,  as  a  teacher  of  the 
original  languages  of  Scripture  in  the  Seminary ;  and  that 
the  professors  be  authorized  to  employ  him  for  the  same 
purpose,  or  such  other  person  as  they  judge  proper,  and 
that  not  more  than  four  hundred  dollars  be  allowed  said 
teacher,  per  annum,  for  his  services." 

The  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  April  25th,  1821,  ap- 
pointed him  stated  supply,  at  Georgetown  (Lambertville) 
for  one  half  of  his  time,  during  the  ensuing  six  months. 
This  service  he  performed  regularly,  and  with  such  success 
that  an  efficient  Church  was  organized  there  soon  after  he 
ceased  to  supply  them.  He  also  introduced  to  that  congre- 
gation his  friend  and  former  school-mate,  Rev.  Peter  Stud- 
diford,  D.  D.,  who,  with  his  excellent  son,  the  Rev.  P.  A. 
Studdiford,  D.  D.,  have  been  to  the  present  time  the  only 
pastors  of  the  large  and  flourishing  Church  into  which  it 
has  grown.  The  Presbytery,  in  the  fall  of  1821,  appointed 
Mr.  Hodge  stated  supply  of  Trenton  First  Church,  now 
known  as  Ewing. 


JET.  23.]  HIS  ORDINATION.  85 

EXTRACT  FROM  RECORDS  OF  PRESBYTERY,  SEPT.  2  7,  1 8  2  I . 

"  Mr.  Charles  Hodge,  a  licentiate  under  the  care  of 
this  Presbytery,  made  an  application  for  ordination,  as  he 
had  engaged  to  supply  the  Trenton  First  Church  the  princi- 
pal part  of  the  winter  term.  Presbytery  having  considered 
his  application,  and  his  standing  in  the  Seminary  as  a 
teacher  of  the  Original  Languages  of  Scripture,  determined 
to  proceed  to  his  ordination  at  a  convenient  time,  and 
accordingly  assigned  him  I  Cor.  i.  21  as  a  subject  for  a 
sermon,  and  directed  him  to  prepare  for  the  examination 
requisite  on  such  an  occasion."  Mr.  Peter  O.  Studdiford, 
at  the  same  time,  made  a  similar  application,  the  action  on 
which  was  postponed  for  a  time. 

Newark,  October  i6th,  1821. — Presbytery  met  in  intervals 
of  Synod.  "  Mr.  Wm.  J.  Armstrong,  a  Licentiate  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Jersey,  having  received  a  call  from  the  Tren- 
ton City  Church,  was  received  by  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Brunswick. 

"  Whereupon  it  was  Resolved,  That  Presbytery  will  hold 
an  adjourned  meeting  at  Trenton,  on  the  last  Tuesday  of 
November  next,  for  the  purpose  of  ordaining  and  installing 
Mr.  Armstrong  pastor  of  the  congregation  of  Trenton,"  and 
also,  "  Presbytery  agreed  to  proceed  to  the  ordination  of 
Mr.  Studdiford,  also  to  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Charles 
Hodge  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Armstrong's  ordination  and  in- 
stallation at  Trenton :  viz.,  on  the  last  Tuesday  of  Novem- 
ber next." 

"  The  Rev.  Dr.  Miller  was  appointed  to  preside  at  the 
ordination  of  Messrs.  Armstrong,  Hodge  and  Studdiford ; 
Mr.  Woodhull  to  preach  the  sermon;  Mr.  Cooley  to  give 
the  charge  to  the  newly  ordained  ministers  and  to  Mr. 
Armstrong  as  installed  pastor  of  the  congregation  of  Tren- 
ton ;  and  Mr.  Brown  the  charge  to  the  people. 

"  Trenton,  November  2jtk,  1821. — Messrs.  Wm.  J.  Arm- 
strong and  Charles  Hodge  were  examined  on  their  experi- 


86  HIS  ORDINATION.  [1824. 

mental  acquaintance  with  religion,  on  Theology,  Natural 
and  Moral  Philosophy,  on  Church  Government  and  the 
Sacraments,  and  their  examinations  on  these  subjects  were 
sustained.  Mr.  Hodge  delivered  a  discourse  from  i  Cor. 
i.  21,  and  Mr.  Studdiford  a  discourse  from  Isaiah  xlv.  22, 
which  were  sustained  as  the  concluding  parts  of  trial  for  or- 
dination. 

"November  28th,  1821.  The  arrangements  made  for  the 
ordination  services  were  carried  out,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Corn- 
fort  giving  the  charge  to  the  people  vice  Mr.  Brown,  de- 
tained by  sickness  in  his  family." 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Sept.  12,  1821. 

My  Dear  Brother : — With  regard  to  your  prospects,  my  dear  Bro- 
ther, I  have  never  thought  them  gloomy.  I  feel  assured  that  what- 
ever difficulties  may  attend  the  commencement  of  your  course,  it 
will,  if  you  are  spared,  be  successful.  I  feel  this  confidence  because 
we  see  God  does  connect,  in  His  providence,  success  with  diligence 
and  virtue.  Not  that  we  do  not  daily  do  enough  to  forfeit  His  favor, 
but  for  the  good  of  the  world,  and  for  the  encouragement  of  excel- 
lence, He  has  made  virtuous  exertion  as  much  the  cause  of  success, 
as  any  secondary  cause  is  connected  with  its  appropriate  result.  I 
saw  the  remark  the  other  day  that  no  one  is  ever  great  without  hav- 
ing struggled  with  difficulties,  and  I  believe  it  is  still  more  generally 
true  that  few  men  are  good  who  are  not  forced  to  it  by  affliction.  If 
our  difficulties  make  us  both  greater  and  better  than  we  otherwise 
should  have  been,  even  our  self-love  would  not  have  the  arrange- 
ment altered.  Your  brother,  C.  H. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  19,  1821. 

My  Dear  Mother : — I  hope  the  Doctor  is  well  and  in  good  spirits. 
I  wish  I  could  give  him  a  portion  of  my  hopes  and  happiness.  I  am 
becoming  daily  more  pleased  with  present  duties  and  future  pros- 
pects. Indeed,  were  I  permitted  to  mould  my  own  lot,  I  do  not 
think  I  could  devise  a  plan  of  life  more  suited  to  my  desires,  than  the 
one  Providence  appears  opening  before  me.  Whether  this  is  to  con- 
tinue, and  I  am  to  remain  in  my  present  situation,  I  cannot  tell,  and 
I  hope  to  be  cheerfully  resigned  to  whatever  Heaven  may  determine. 


^ET.24.]  LIFE  AS  TEACHER.  87 

But  I  am  getting  so  fond  of  what  I  have  to  do,  and  of  what  I  see  to 
do,  that  if  it  be  decided  that  this  is  not  the  place  designed  for  me,  it 
will  be  a  painful  resignation  of  enjoyments  and  hopes. 

Your  son,  C.  H. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  ist,  1822. 

My  Dear  Brother : —  ....  A  circumstance  of  rather  more 
interest  was,  that  on  Sunday  last  I  was  called  to  administer,  for  the 
first  time,  the  ordinance  of  Baptism,  and,  what  does  not  happen  every 
day,  was  required  to  give  my  own  name  in  full  to  the  little  stranger. 
It  was  the  child  of  one  of  the  Elders  of  Trenton  First  Church  (called 
Ewing),  where  I  frequently  preach. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 

Mr.  Hodge  had  organized  a  society  among  the  students, 
designed  to  promote  the  investigation  and  discussion  of 
questions  connected  with  the  department  of  Biblical  Criti- 
cism and  Introduction.  The  professors  attended,  but  Mr. 
Hodge  conducted  the  work,  and  directed  the  students  in  their 
special  preparations  on  particular  themes.  On  this  subject 
he  wrote  to  his  mother. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  19,  1822. 

My  Dear  Mother : — I  suppose  you  remember  my  mentioning  that 
I  was  obliged  to  prepare  a  dissertation  to  read  before  our  new  society 
on  its  first  meeting.  This  was  done  more  than  a  fortnight  since.  The 
Professors  and  most  of  the  Seminary  were  present.  The  following 
day  Dr.  Miller  suggested  a  thing  to  me  which  I  heard  with  a  good 
deal  of  surprise,  but  which  he  urged  by  considerations,  the  force  of 
which  I  was  obliged  to  admit.  He  said  he  hoped  and  expected  in 
the  spring  some  permanent  arrangement  would  be  made  respecting 
the  vacant  professorship.  That,  although  from  my  situation  the  at- 
tention of  many  of  the  members  of  the  Church  had  been  fixed  on 
myself,  yet  that  to  the  great  mass  of  the  Church  I  was  a  stranger. 
That  in  a  matter  of  so  much  importance,  it  would  be  unpleasant  for 
them  to  act  without  some  knowledge  of  the  person  to  whom  so  much 
would  be  officially  entrusted.  That,  whatever  they  might  hear  from 
my  friends,  they  would  still  be  acting  in  the  dark  as  it  respected 
themselves.  To  remove  this  difficulty  he  wished  the  dissertation  just 


88  HIS  FIRST  PUBLICATION.  [1822. 

mentioned  should  be  published,  and  circulated  among  the  clergy,  as 
far  as  was  thought  expedient.  Of  course  my  feelings  revolted  from 
this  very  strongly,  as  from  something  unseemly.  Since  then  Dr. 
Alexander  has  spoken  to  me  on  the  subject,  and  thinks  it  ought  to 
xbe  done,  and  that  it  can  be  done  at  the  request  of  the  Society,  with- 
out any  impropriety  or  indelicacy.  Whether  it  will  be  done,  I  do 
not  know.  Sure  I  am  that  my  own  feelings  would  say  no.  Though 
from  the  peculiarity  of  the  case,  and  the  novelty  of  the  subject,  my 
judgment  would,  perhaps,  be  brought  to  acquiesce,  were  my  opinion 
of  the  piece  higher  than  it  is. 

This  is  a  question  to  be  left  to  my  parental  Professors.  I  am  will- 
ing to  follow  their  advice,  even  with  hesitating  steps.* 

Your  son,  C.  H. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Feb.  21,  1822. 

My  Dear  Mother : — I  have  just  returned  from  the  Seminary,  and 
from  the  bed-side  of  one  of  our  most  promising  students,  who  has 
just  breathed  his  last.  He  was  taken  on  Friday  with  a  violent  in- 
flammation of  the  bowels,  which  made  such  rapid  progress,  that  on 
Sunday  his  life  was  despaired  of.  On  Tuesday  morning,  the  doctor 
was  considerably  encouraged,  but  he  soon  grew  worse,  and  this  morn- 
ing, about  10  o'clock,  he  died.  You  may  suppose  such  an  event 
would  make  a  very  deep  impression  on  the  minds  of  his  fellow-stu- 
dents. He  was  in  all  respects  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  prom- 
ising of  their  number.  He  was  about  twenty-two  years  old,  and 
remarkably  healthy,  and  about  a  week  since,  was,  perhaps,  the  very 
last  who  would  have  been  selected  as  likely  to  find  an  early  grave. 
As  Mr.  Turner,  (James  Blythe  Turner,  from  Kentucky)  was  the  first 
who  has  died  among  the  students,  and  was  very  much  beloved,  the 
dispensation  is  more  sensibly  felt. 

I  am  very  glad  the  first  death  I  have  ever  witnessed  was  a  happy 
one.  Both  of  the  professors  were  present,  and  his  bed  was  surrounded 
by  his  brethren,  whom  he  requested  to  sing  for  him,  the  hymn  be- 
ginning with  the  words  :  "  How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of  the 
Lord."  I  never  witnessed  a  scene  better  calculated  to  impress  the 
mind  with  the  importance  and  value  of  religion.  It  is,  indeed,  the 

*  It  was  published,  and  a  copy  lies  before  me,  with  the  title,  "A  DISSERTATION 
ON  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  BIBLICAL  LITERATURE,  BY  CHARLES  HODGE,  A.M. 
TEACHER  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  LANGUAGES  OF  SCRIPTURE,  IN  THE  THEOLOGI- 
CAL SEMINARY  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  AT  PRINCETON.  TRENTON. 
PRINTED  BY  GEORGE  SHERMAN,  1822.''  And  this  is  the  first  publication  of 
Charles  Hodge. 


JET. 24.]  LIFE  AS  TEACHER.  89 

"one  thing,"and  the  only  thing  which  can  afford  the  least  consola- 
tion in  so  trying  an  hour.  I  was  also  much  impressed  with  the  con- 
viction of  the  truth  and  of  the  essential  importance  of  some  of  the 
leading  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  particularly  that  we  are  saved  by 
faith,  and  only  for  the  sake  of  what  Christ  has  done  and  suffered  for 
us.  Mr.  Turner  said  over  and  over  that  the  only  foundation  of  his 
hope  was  "the  atoning  righteousness  of  the  Redeemer."  When  he 
felt  he  had  an  interest  in  that,  he  was  happy.  I  believe  I  was  never 
more  convinced  that  any  thing  which  took  that  doctrine  from  the 
Bible,  left  no  resting-place  behind. 

His  particular  friends  are  very  much  exhausted  with  watching  and 
excitement.  Breckinridge  (Rev.  John  Breckinridge,  afterwards 
Professor)  especially  looks  very  badly.  He  was  for  some  time 
Turner's  room-mate. 

Your  son,  C.  H. 

MR.    HODGE    TO    HIS    MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  April  2,  1822. 

My  Dear  Mother: — I  have  not  yet  determined  where  nor  how  my 
vacation  is  to  be  spent.  Should  Providence  decide  I  am  to  remain 
at  Princeton,  I  would  wish  to  devote  the  vacation  to  the  study  of 
German,  and  it  has  suggested  itself  to  my  mind  it  might  be  well  to 
go  and  spend  five  or  six  weeks  at  Bethlehem  or  Nazareth  (Pennsyl- 
vania). If  there  were  an  intelligent  clergyman  with  whom  I  could 
stay,  it  might  be  of  some  advantage ;  but  to  hear  the  language  as 
spoken  by  some  plain  country  people  would  be  of  little  service.  If 
I  go,  the  Doctor  (Alexander)  would  let  James  go  with  me. 

As  the  time  of  the  session  of  the  General  Assembly  approaches,  I 
feel  somewhat  desirous  of  having  the  question  of  the  permanency  of 
my  continuance  here  determined,  simply  to  be  freed  from  the  unset- 
tled feeling  incident  to  a  state  of  suspense.  It  is  a  question,  however, 
which  has  never  given  me  any  disquietude.  It  is  one  indeed  which 
involves  consequences  of  greater  importance  than  I  am  able  to  esti- 
mate, but  the  fact  that  it  is  one  beyond  my  determination,  the  decision 
of  which  I  can  in  no  way  influence,  seems  to  remove  from  me  in 
some  measure  the  burden  of  responsibility.  Should  it  ever  be  affirm- 
atively made,  however,  that  burden  will  then  be  mine ;  and  it  is 
great  indeed. 

Your  son,  C.  H. 

MR,    HODGE    TO    HIS    MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  April  10,  1822. 

My  Dear  Mother : — I  have  been  somewhat  peculiarly  situated  in 
my  official  duties  since  entering  the  ministry.  It  became  necessary 


90  LIFE  AS  TEACHER.  [1821. 

for  me  on  Saturday  last  to  baptize  a  man  by  immersion  (in  Howeirs 
Pond,  a  five  minutes  walk  from  the  church,  on  the  Trenton  side,  while 
acting  as  pastor  for  the  Ewing,  or  Trenton  first  church),  as  his  con- 
science would  not  allow  him,  though  a  Presbyterian,  to  receive  the 
"ordinance  in  any  other  way.  My  good  Princeton  friends,  though 
they  considered  it  as  a  matter  of  necessity,  seemed  very  reluctant 
that  I  should  run  the  risk  to  health  by  going  at  this  season  into  the 
water.  But  it  seems  that  no  evil  has  resulted  from  it.  The  day  was 
very  mild,  and  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case  as  pleasant  as  they 
could  be.  There  were  a  great  many  persons  present,  but  all  belonged 
to  the  congregation,  which  is  one  remarkable  for  its  respectability. 
It  was  a  serious  service,  and  all  present  seemed  to  feel  it  so. 

Your  son,  C.  H. 

MR.    HODGE   TO    HIS    MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  April  19,  1822. 

My  Dear  Mother: — Mr.  Summerfield  preached  for  us  here  yester- 
day morning,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  dining  with  him  yesterday  at 
Mr.  Bayard's.  His  sermon  was  excellent.  Much  better  than  I  ex- 
pected. His  action  was  also  excellent,  but  he  is  by  no  means  as  elo- 
quent as  I  had  supposed.  He  has  very  little  power  over  his  audience 
excepting  to  produce  a  pleasing  excitement.  He  could  not  overwhelm 
them  as  Larned  could,  and  he  seemed  to  have  but  little  talent  at  the 
pathetic.  My  judgment  approved  of  him  and  his  discourse  more  than 
I  expected ;  but  my  feelings  were  much  less  interested. 

Your  son,  C.  H. 

In  answer  to  a  letter  from  Dr.  Alexander,  not  preserved, 
Mr.  Hodge  wrote : 

MR.    HODGE    TO    DR.  A.  ALEXANDER. 

PRINCETON,  May  6,  1822. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  would  say  then,  in  the  first  place,  that  if  I  know 
my  own  heart,  I  wish  God's  will  may  be  done.  If  He  plainly 
leads  me  on  to  the  result  we  have  so  long  contemplated,  I  confess  the 
fondest  wishes  of  my  heart  will  be  accomplished.  But  at  the  same 
time  I  believe  that  I  would  rather  be  homeless  and  penniless  through 
life  than  in  any  way  whatever  enter  such  an  office  unsent  of  God.  I 
have  felt  so  much  on  this  subject  that  I  have  never  felt  at  liberty 
even  to  pray  for  the  attainment  of  this  object  except  in  the  most 
guarded  manner.j  When  this  day  three  years  ago,  and  in  this  place, 


JET.  23.]  LIFE  AS  TEACHER.  gi 

you  first  mentioned  this  subject  to  me,  the  suggestion  took  me  utterly 
by  surprise.  The  plan  you  then  proposed  seemed  to  me  so  important, 
fraught  with  so  many  advantages  to  myself  (upon  any  result),  whose 
ultimate  success  depended  so  entirely  upon  the  ordering  of  Provi- 
dence, that  I  could  not  doubt  that  it  was  my  duty  to  accede  to  it. 
Since  that  period  my  path  has  been  very  narrow.  There  has  not  oc- 
curred a  single  opening  whidi  was  calculated  either  to  tempt  me 
aside  or  to  give  me  a  moment's  anxiety  as  to  the  course  I  ought  to 
pursue.  Hitherto,  therefore,  has  the  Lord  led  me.  Whether  He 
will  lead  me  any  longer  in  this  direction,  I  know  not.  LWith  regard 
to  the  Professorship  itself,  I  think  now  as  I  have  always  thought  that 
it  is  decidedly  the  most  eligible  situation  for  improvement,  for  satis- 
faction, and  for  usefulness,  which  our  church  affords,  and  that  as  far 
as  my  feelings  are  concerned,  I  would  prefer  being  here  with  the 
smaller  salary,  to  any  other  situation  with  the  largest,  that  the  coun- 
try affords.  Should,  therefore,  my  salary  even  be  continued  as  it  is 
at  present  ($400)  I  should  not  think  it  a  sufficient  reason  for  retiring 
from  my  present  situation,  unless  accompanied  with  some  further  in- 
timations that  such  was  the  will  of  Providence. 

Though  I  have  been  greatly  disappointed  in  the  progress  I  have 
made  in  my  studies,  and  the  benefit  I  have  derived  from  my  many 
advantages,  yet  I  am  so  sensible  of  the  value  of  the  privileges  con- 
nected with  my  situation,  that  I  esteem  myself  most  highly  favored. 
You  need  never  fear  I  shall  regret  the  time  I  have  spent  in  Princeton, 
and  will  you  let  me  say  it  gives  me  a  pleasure  to  be  near  you  and 
your  family,  that  money  cannot  purchase. 

[  I  now  beg  you  to  pray  for  me,  that  God  would  so  order  events  that 
He  may  be  honored,  and  that  by  His  Spirit  I  may  be  fitted  for  His 
pleasure.  This  request  I  make  most  earnestly. 

With  filial  reverence,  C.  H. 


CHAPTER  V. 


FROM  HIS  ELECTION  AS  PROFESSOR,  MAY,  1 822^  TO  HIS 
DEPARTURE  FOR  EUROPE,  OCTOBER,  1826. 


HIS  ELECTION  AS  PROFESSOR—  MARRIAGE—  BIRTH  AND  BAPTISM  OF  CHIL- 
DREN—STUDIES AND  COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  "  BIBLICAL  REPERTORY"— 
RESOLUTIONS  TO  GO  TO  EUROPE. 


Board  of  Directors,  at  their  meeting,  held  in  Phila- 
JL  delphia,  May  17,  1822,  reported  to  the  General  Assembly 
as  follows  :  "  The  Board  with  pleasure  inform  the  Assembly 
that  the  First  and  Third  (senior  and  junior)  classes  now  in 
the  Seminary,  have  each  resolved  to  aid  in  founding  a  Pro- 
fessorship of  Oriental  and  Biblical  Literature.  To  effect 
this  object,  the  students  of  the  First  class  have  bound  them- 
selves to  raise  and  pay,  if  practicable,  in  five  years,  the 
sums  which  they  have  respectively  subscribed,  amounting 
in  the  whole  to  $7,000.  And  the  students  of  the  Third 
class  have  on  similar  conditions  individually  bound  them- 
selves in  sums  amounting  collectively  to  about  $4,000." 

May  2  ist,  "Resolved,  That  it  be  recommended  to  the 
General  Assembly,  that  they  elect  a  Professor  of  Oriental 
and  Biblical  Literature  in  the  Theological  Seminary,  with 
a  salary  of  $1,000  per  annum,  provided  that  for  three  years 
the  present  funds  of  the  Assembly  be  responsible  for  not 
more  than  $400,  the  sum  now  given  to  the  assistant  teacher 
of  the  Original  Languages  of  Scripture,  and  that  the  residue 
be  procured  by  subscription." 

On  the  same  day  the  General  Assembly  resolved,  "  That, 
92 


yET.  22.]  INAUGURATION  AS  PROFESSOR.  93 

agreeably  to  the  above  recommendation,  a  Professor  of  Ori- 
ental and  Biblical  Literature  be  elected,  and  that  the  elec- 
tion be  the  order  of  the  day  for  Friday  next,  at-  twelve 
o'clock." 

Friday  noon,  May  24th,  1822.  "It  being  the  order  of 
the  day  for  twelve  o'clock,  an  election  was  held  for  a  Pro- 
fessor of  Oriental  and  Biblical  Literature.  The  ballots 
being  taken  were  committed  to  Messrs.  John  F.  Clark,  Cox 
and  Gilbert  to  count  the  vote  and  report  the  result  to  the 
Assembly." 

"  The  committee  to  which  the  votes  for  a  Professor  had 
been  committed,  reported,  and  the  Rev.  Charles  Hodge 
was  declared  duly  elected  Professor  of  Oriental  and  Biblical 
Literature." 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  in  Princeton,  September 
23d,  1822,  "  The  Board  were  officially  informed,  by  the 
Stated  Clerk  of  the  General  Assembly,  that  that  body  had 
elected  the  Rev.  Charles  Hodge  Professor  of  Oriental  and 
Biblical  Literature  in  this  Seminary ;  and  the  Board  being 
also  informed  that  Mr.  Hodge  has  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment, resolved  that  Dr.  Blatchford,  Dr.  McAuley,  and  Mr. 
Lewis  be  a  committee  to  direct  the  order  of  exercises  at  the 
inauguration  which  is  to  take  place  to-morrow  at  n 
o'clock,  A.  M." 

Soon  afterwards  "The  committee  appointed  to  make 
arrangements  for  the  inauguration  of  the  Professor  made 
the  following  report,  which  was  adopted : 

"  ist.  Procession  to  be  formed  at  1 1  o'clock,  A.  M.,  at  the 
Seminary  in  the  following  order:  (i)  Students  of  the  Semi- 
nary. (2)  Such  clergy  as  may  be  present.  (3)  The  Pro- 
fessors. (4)  The  Directors.  The  procession  to  enter  the 
Church  in  the  reverse  order,  to  be  conducted  under  the  di- 
rection of  a  committee  of  one  from  each  class  of  the  stu- 
dents, consisting  of  Messrs.  Breckinridge,  Stanford  and 
Myers." 

"  2d.  Hymn  and  introductory  prayer,  by  the  President. 


94  HIS  MARRIAGE.  [1822. 

3d.  Formula  to  be  read  and  subscribed,  by  the  Professor. 

4th.  Induction  to  the  chair,  by  the  President. 

5th.  -Inaugural  address,  by  the  Professor. 

6th.  Charge,  by  Dr.  McAuley. 

/th.  Concluding  prayer,  by  Dr.  Blatchford. 

8th.  Concluding  hymn  and  benediction,  by  the  first  Vice- 
President." 

Tuesday,  September  2^th,  1822.  "  The  Board  attended 
to  the  inauguration  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Hodge  as  Professor 
of  Oriental  and  Biblical  Literature.  The  exercises  were 
conducted  agreeably  to  the  plan  reported  yesterday  by  the 
committee  of  arrangements." 

The  original  time-stained  copy  of  this  inaugural  address 
the  compiler  of  this  biography  has  now  in  his  hands.  The 
first  sentences  reveal  the  thought  and  animus  of  the  entire 
discourse,  and  constitute  a  divinely  significant  omen  for  the 
professional  life  now  opening. 

"  The  moral  qualifications  of  an  Interpreter  of  Scripture 
may  all  be  included  in  Piety;  which  embraces  humility, 
candor,  and  those  views  and  feelings  which  can  only  result 
from  the  inward  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit" 

"  //  is  the  object  of  this  discourse  to  illustrate  the  importance 
of  Piety  in  the  Interpretation  of  Scripture'' 

HIS    MARRIAGE. 

^Tn  the  meantime,  on  the  i/th  of  June,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Sarah  Bache,  who  has  already  been  introduced  to  the 
reader  in  the  second  chapter,  at  Cheltenham,  a  country  seat 
near  Philadelphia,  belonging  to  a  mutual  friend,  Judge 
M.  McKane,  Mrs.  Bache  having  deceased  in  1820.  The 
ceremony  was  performed  by  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Wil- 
liam White,  the  first  American  Protestant  Bishop.  Dr. 
White  had  been  the  pastor  of  the  bride's  family  for  several 
generations,  and  had  married  her  father,  William  Bache,  to 
Catherine  Wistar,  in  1797. 

Uniform  tradition  represents  Charles  Hodge  and  Sarah 


SET.  24.]  HIS  MARRIAGE.  95 

Bache  as  being  at  that  time  an  uncommonly  handsome 
couple.  He  was  slender,  of  average  height,  very  youth- 
ful-looking, with  light  brown  hair,  curling  over  a  finely 
formed  head,  a  light  complexion  and  rosy  cheeks,  illumed 
by  the  light  of  blue  eyes,  and  of  a  mouth  in  which  be- 
nevolence and  firmness,  intelligence  and  humor  were  so 
subtly  mingled  as  to  elude  the  efforts  of  the  best  painters 
to  represent  it.  She  was  of  the  full  standard  height  for 
women,  of  symmetrical  form,  dark  auburn  hair,  large  blue- 
grey  eyes,  of  that  rare  complexion  in  which  the  tender 
pink  penetrates  the  delicate  white,  as  in  the  interior 
enameling  of  tropical  sea  shells.  She  was  endowed  with 
the  gifts,  and  characterized  with  the  temperament  of  a  mu- 
sician and  an  artist,  full  of  imagination  and  enthusiasm,  in- 
tensely affectionate  and  self-sacrificing  within  the  circle  of 
kindred,  and  at  the  same  time  thrilled  by  the  widest  and 
most  delicate  sympathies  with  alf  varieties  of  character  and 
experience.  These  natural  qualities  had  already  been  con- 
secrated by  religion,  and  through  all  her  life  they  be- 
came more  and  more  spiritualized  and  sanctified. 

They  came  almost  immediately  to  Princeton,  and  took 
boarding  in  the  family  of  Colonel  Erkuries  Beatty,  the 
father  of  their  life-long  friend,  Rev.  Charles  Beatty,  D.  D., 
LL.  D.,  of  Steubenville,  Ohio.  Here  they  received  great 
kindness,  and  remained  until  the  spring  of  1823,  when  they 
went  to  house-keeping  in  the  house  occupying  the  eastern 
corner  of  Witherspoon  and  Main  Streets,  immediately  op- 
posite the  centre  of  Nassau  Hall.  Here  they  remained 
eighteen  months,  until,  on  January  1st,  1825,  they  took 
possession  of  their  permanent  home,  built  by  them  on  the 
Seminary  ground — the  square  brick  house  at  the  west  end 
of  the  main  Seminary  building.  In  this  house  Mr.  Hodge 
lived  all  his  remaining  life,  here  all  his  children,  except- the 
eldest,  were  born,  and  here  he  did  his  life-work  and  died. 
All  the  beautiful  trees  which  adorn  the  grounds  around  this 
house  he  planted  with  his  own  hands. 


96  J3&INGS  HIS  WIFE  TO  PRINCETON.  [1822. 

MR.    HODGE   TO    HIS    MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  June  24,  1822. 

My  Dear  Mother : — We  have  been  received  with  every  possible 
kind  attention  by  every  body  in  Princeton,  and  it  has  given  me  the 
greatest  satisfaction  to  witness  the  evident  cordiality  Sarah  has  been 
met  with  by  all  her  old  friends.  Our  circumstances  at  Mr.  Beatty's 
are  very  comfortable,  and  every  thing  promises  well. 

We  go  to  Dr.  Alexander's  to-day  and  to  Dr.  Miller's  to-morrow. 
It  is  well  we  came  here  a  week  before  the  session  commences,  for  it 
will  not  be  possible  to  get  ready  for  study  for  some  time.  My  room 
is  yet  in  confusion,  havifig  no  book-case  and  no  table.  In  a  short 
time,  however,  I  expect  to  settle  down  to  all  the  sober  duties  of  my 
office  and  relations.  Our  Brother,  the  Doctor,  was  all-important  to 
us.  He  performed  his  part  so  well  on  the  day^  on  which  Sarah  saw 
her  friends,  that  I  was  completely  relieved,  i  It  makes  me  happy  to 
see  Sarah  cheerful  and  contented.  She  is  now  singing  in  my  ears,  so 
that  I  scarcely  know  what  I  am  writing.  I  begin  to  fear  that  many 
of  the  fond  schemes  I  had  formed  will  never  come  to  much.  As  to 
studying  where  Sarah  is,  it  will  be  out  of  the  question,  unless  there 
be  some  way  of  charming  her  tongue  to  rest  which  I  have  not  as 
yet  discovered.  J 

Your  son,  C.  H. 

But  things  soon  permanently  adjusted  themselves.  The 
wife  became  occupied  with  household  and  family  cares,  and 
the  husband,  of  all  industrious  students,  became  remarkable 
for  his  tolerance  of  interruption.  His  study  was  the  home 
of  his  wife,  and  the  gathering  place  of  the  entire  family,  and 
the  highway  of  the  childreri^between  the  outside  world  and 
the  other  apartments  of  the  house.  While  some  of  his 
children  remained  too  small  to  unfasten  the  latch  them- 
selves, he  had  left  it  unfastened,  so  that  even  the  least  of 
us  might  come  and  go  as  we  pleased. 

During  the  first  four  years  of  his  married  life,  the  period 
covered  by  this  chapter,  two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  were 
born  to  him.  His  constant  letters  to  his  mother  and 
brother,  and  other  intimate  friends,  were  filled  with  notices 
oi  these  children,  and  with  the  evidences  of  his  absorbing, 
as  well  as  tender,  interest  in  them.  This  characteristic  of 
his  correspondence  is  far  more  than  ordinary  in  its  degree, 


.ET.  28.]  BAPTISM  OF  DAUGHTER.  97 

and  his  consciousness  of  that  fact  becomes  evident.     To  his 
brother  he  writes  : — 

"  People  say  I  am  a  little  foolish,  and  I  think  it  quite  likely.  But 
I  have  a  good  excuse.  With  every  desire  that  you  may  be  as  fool- 
ish, as  happy,  and  a  thousand  times  better  than  your  brother, 

I  am  yours,  C.  H." 

The  whole  family  correspondence  of  this  period  is  suf- 
fused by  the  glow  of  his  rich  and  full  happiness,  having  their 
springs  in  his  religion,  his  family,  and  his  beloved  work. 

DR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  25,  1825. 

My  Dear  Mother : — Your  dear  little  Mary  Elizabeth  was  baptized 
this  afternoon  in  the  Oratory  by  Dr.  Alexander.  Notwithstanding 
the  rain,  the  place  of  service  was  so  near  we  found  it  easy  to  take 
our  dear  little  treasure  out  to  be  consecrated  to  God  in  this  delightful 
ordinance.  I  never  appreciated  so  highly  before  the  privilege  of  thus 
giving  to  God  what  is  dearest  to  us  on  earth.  We  feel  now  as  though 
she  were  not  our  own,  but  something  lent  to  be  cultivated  and  pre- 
pared through  our  agency  for  heaven.  To  be  instrumental  in  thus 
training  up  one  of  the  children  of  the  Lord  to  be  presented  before 
Him  without  spot  or  blemish,  is  so  delightful  and  honorable  a  task, 
that  we  cannot  help  hoping  that  He  who  has  made  the  prospect  of 
the  duty  so  pleasant,  will  aid  us  in  its  performance.  There  is,  too,  so 
much  ground  to  hope  that  our  efforts  will  not  be  in  vain  that  we  can 
address  ourselves  to  the  duty  with  all  possible  cheerfulness.  The 
application  of  the  pure  element  of  water  is  not  only  designed  to  repre- 
sent the  purifying  influence  of  the  Spirit  upon  the  heart,  but  it  seems 
to  be  the  appointed  pledge  on  the  part  of  God,  that  if  we  sincerely 
devote  our  children  to  Him,  and  faithfully  endeavor  to  bring  them  up 
for  Him,  He  will  bestow  upon  them  the  blessings  signified  by  the  or- 
dinance, and  contained  in  that  gracious  covenant  to  which  it  is  at- 
tached. Hence  the  ordinance  is  represented  as  so  important  in  the 
Scriptures.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved.  It 
certainly  never  was  designed  to  be  an  empty  form.  And  as  it  im- 
poses the  most  solemn  obligations,  so  it  contains  abundant  encou- 
ragement to  fulfil  them.  Our  dear  little  children  we  have  promised 
to  educate  for  heaven,  and  as  God  shall  enable  us,  we  mean  to  per- 
form our  vows.  To  this  every  thing  must  be  made  secondary.  To 
7 


98  HIS  STUDIES.  [1825. 

gain  this  world  is  not  what  we  have  promised  to  aim  at.  It  must 
therefore  never  be  the  direct  and  primary  object  of  pursuit.  I  have 
lately,  in  reading  Bonaparte's  Russian  Campaign,  and  the  Life  of  She- 
ridan, been  very  much  struck  with  the  truth  of  the  remark  how  little 
they  really  enjoy  the  world  to  whom  the  world  is  every  thing.  Bo- 
naparte says  the  happiest  part  of  his  life  was  when  he  was  a  poor 
lieutenant.  And  Sheridan  said  the  happiest  part  of  his  life  was  the 
short  time  he  spent  in  a  cottage.  There  is  nothing  lost,  therefore, 
even  as  regards  the  present  world,  by  seeking  first  the  kingdom  of 
God ;  that  is,  by  making  it  the  primary  object  of  pursuit,  seeing  that 
godliness  has  the  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is 
to  come.  We  feel,  therefore,  determined,  if  God  shall  render  us 
faithful  to  our  purposes,  to  bring  up  your  dear  little  grandchildren, 
as  we  are  sure  you  would  have  us  do,  with  the  one  object  supremely 
in  view  of  fitting  them  for  heaven.  I  have  great  confidence  in  the 
effect  of  religious  truth  upon  the  infant  mind.  Children  are  so  sus- 
ceptible, their  associations  are  so  strong  and  lasting,  that  it  does  not 
seem  strange  that  the  effect  of  early  education  should  so  frequently 
be  felt  through  life.  And  if  we  add  to  this  God's  peculiar  promises 
to  those  who  endeavor  to  bring  up  a  child  in  the  way  in  which  he 
should  go,  we  shall  see  that  there  is  abundant  reason  to  hope  that 
exertions  properly  directed  will  be  crowned  with  success^ 

Your  affectionate  son,  C.  H. 


REPERTORY." 

During  these  years  the  weakness  and  pain  of  his  right 
limb  occasioned  a  good  deal  of  inconvenience  and  appre- 
hension, and  at  times  he  submitted  to  painful  remedial  ap- 
plications. Nevertheless  these  were  years  of  intense  study. 
There  remain  in  manuscript  traces  of  elaborate  discipline  in 
Hebrew,  Syriac  and  Arabic,  and  exegetical  lectures  on  Ro- 
mans and  Corinthians,  and  dissertations  on  the  origin  of 
language,  the  general  principles  of  Hermeneutics,  &c.  He 
preached  before  the  Seminary  every  third  Sabbath,  and 
very  frequently  in  the  neighboring  churches.  Writing  to 
his  brother,  November,  1822,  he  says:  "lam  incessantly 
busy,  having  six  recitations  a  week,  and  a  lecture  to  write 
besides."  December,  1822,  he  writes:  "I  am  studying 


JET.28.]        FOUNDS  THE  "BIBLICAL  REPERTORY?'  99 

German  again :  having  a  teacher  in  the  house  I  hope  to 
make  more  progress  than  I  did  before.  We  find  Mr.  Ja- 
downisky  a  pleasant  and  intelligent  young  man."  In 
November,  1823,  he  writes:  "We  have  an  unusually  large 
accession  to  our  numbers,  and  have  commenced  business 
under  very  promising  circumstances.  I  have  more  writing 
to  do  than  I  should,  and  really  believe  that  I  shall  find  it 
essential  to  carry  on  the  study  of  six  languages  this  winter. 
I  look  forward  to  a  pretty  severe  term,  for  I  must  keep  be- 
fore my  students  or  they  will  find  it  out." 

In  the  beginning  of  1825,  he  founded  the  Biblical  Re- 
pertory, with  which  he  was  connected  as  real  editor,  with 
the  exception  of  the  period  of  his  absence  in  Europe,  for 
forty-three  years1.  This  Quarterly  appeared  at  first  under  the 
title,  "  Biblical  Repertory,  a  Collection  of  Tracts  in  Biblical 
Literature,  Epevvdrs  rdz  fpa<pdz"  consisting  of.  reprints  and 
translations,  and  making  no  pretensions  to  originality.  The 
translations  were  furnished  principally  by  the  editor,  and  by 
Rev.  Robert  Patton,  then  Professor  of  Greek  in  the  College 
of  New  Jersey,  and  by  James  W.  and  Joseph  Addison 
Alexander.  It  continued  in  this  form  for  four  years,  until 
after  Mr.  Hodge's  return  from  Europe,  when  the  new  series 
began  with  January,  1829,  under  the  title  "Biblical  Reper- 
tory, a  Journal  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Theological 
Science,"  to  be  conducted  by  an  "  association  of  gentle- 
men," of  which,  however,  Professor  Hodge  was  always  the 
working  and  directing  member,  in  every  sense  the  actual 
editor.  In  1830  the  title  became  "  Biblical  Repertory  and 
Theological  Review,"  and  finally,  in  1837,  "  Biblical  Reper- 
tory and  Princeton  Review."  Among  the  contents  of  the 
first  four  volumes  the  only  translations  which  I  can  cer- 
tainly identify  as  the  work  of  Dr.  Hodge  are  "  History  of 
Theology  in  the  Eighteenth  Century,"  by  Dr.  Augustus 
Tholuck ;  and  the  "  Life  of  Kant,"  by  Prof.  Stapfer,  of 
Paris.  These  are  both  contained  in  the  volume  for  1828. 

During  his  absence  in  Europe,  from  November,  1826,  to 


IOO  RESOLVES  TO  GO  TO  EUROPE.  [1826. 

November,  1828]  Prof.  Robert  Patton  took  charge  of  the 
Repertory  in  place  of  the  editor. 

RESOLUTION    TO    GO    TO    EUROPE. 

During  the  year  1826,  as  his  knowledge  increased,  his 
standard  of  the  attainments  necessary  for  a  professor  in  his 
department  was  elevated  in  a  more  rapid  ratio,  and  propor- 
tionably  the  sense  of  his  own  deficiencies  became  more  in- 
tense. He  felt  the  need  at  the  same  time  of  uninterrupted 
leisure  for  carrying  on  private  study,  and  of  access  to  the 
most  learned  and  able  teachers  of  Biblical  Science  that  were 
to  be  found. 

MR.    HODGE   TO   HIS   BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  August  29,  1826. 

My  Dear  Brother  : — You  will  perhaps  think  me  beside  myself  be- 
fore you  are  done  reading  this  letter,  but  I  am  about  to  speak  the 
words  of  soberness  and  truth,  t  want  to  leave  you  all  for  two  years  ! 
wife  and  children,  mother  and  brother.  I  have  long  felt  the  very  se- 
rious disadvantage  under  which  I  labor  in  filling  a  most  conspicuous 
and  important  station  to  which  I  feel  incompetent.  My  education, 
for  which  I  owe  my  mother  innumerable  thanks,  has  been,  notwith- 
standing her  disinterested  and  strenuous  efforts,  by  the  force  of  cir- 
cumstances, very  defective^  You  remember  I  never  opened  a  Greek 
Grammar  until  I  came  to  Princeton  in  the  spring  of  1812.  In  the  fall 
of  that  year  I  entered  College,  joining  a  class  in  which  all  its  members 
had  been  studying  the  language  from  one  to  two  years.  The  Sopho- 
more year  we  studied  Greek  several  times  a  week.  During  the  Junior 
and  Senior  years,  only  once  a  fortnight.  The  year  subsequent  to  my 
leaving  College  I  did  nothing  at  it.  During  my  three  years  in  the 
Seminary,  my  time  was  occupied  with  other  concerns.  This  has  been 
my  Greek  course.  What  a  preparation  for  a  Professor !  Since  I  re- 
turned to  the  Seminary  I  have  had  continually  so  many  recitations 
that  almost  my  whole  attention  has  been  confined  to  the  single  point 
of  preparing  and  hearing  them.  Little  opportunity  has  been  afforded 
for  the  prosecution  of  the  important  branches  connected  with  my  de- 
partment. I  feel  constantly  the  most  painful  sense  of  unfitness  for 
my  work,  and  the  conviction  that  with  nothing  more  than  fragments 
of  time  at  command,  I  can  make  little  progress.  My  plan,  therefore, 
is  to  apply  to  the  Board  of  Directors  for  permission  to  spend  two  years 


.BT.28.]  RESOLVES  TO  GO  TO  EVROP'E'.  ' 

in  Europe.  If  they  will  permit  my  salary  to  go  on,  it  is  all  I  can  ask. 
I  can  rent  my  house  for  a  sum  sufficient  to  employ  an  assistant  to 
take  my  place  in  the  Seminary.  All  the  Seminary  will  lose  is  the 
difference  between  my  instructions  and  those  of  my  substitute,  which 
will  be  little  indeed ;  and  it  will,  on  the  other  hand,  gain  all  that  will 
accrue  from  my  having  so  much  time  for  improvement,  and  from  the 
increase  of  reputation,  which  is  something  where  people  are  influenced 
by  externals.  By  spending  half  my  time  at  Gb'ttingen  and  half  at 
Paris,  I  shall  be  able  to  get  possession  of  both  the  German  and  French, 
which  will  be  an  incidental  advantage  of  no  inconsiderable  value. 
You  may  suppose  I  do  not  think  of  this  course  lightly.  I  feel  the 
sacrifice  I  make,  or  rather  should  make,  if  this  plan  should  be  exe- 
cuted. But  with  me  my  improvement  should  be  paramount  to  all 
other  conditions,  and  I  hope  I  should  be  found  equal  to  the  exile. 
Mr.  Patton  has  been  to  Europe  and  taken  much  the  same  course,  and 
has  given  me  very  definite  information  as  to  the  expense,  and  I  think 
I  can  accomplish  my  wishes  without  sinking  money  or  running  into 
debt. 

This  is  all,  however,  between  ourselves,  and  it  depends  upon  a  great 
many  circumstances  I  cannot  foresee,  and  which  with  every  thing 
else  I  cheerfully  leave  to  the  directions  of  Providence.  .Sarah,  of 
course,  wishes  very  much  (should  I  go]  to  accompany  me,  and 
Mr.  Patton  tells  me  we  could  live  cheaper  there  than  we  can  do 
here — that  a  thousand  at  Gottingen  would  support  us  comfortably. 
But  then  it  would  take  five  hundred  to  go,  and  as  much  to  return. 
Sarah  would  be  without  friends  and  without  society.  We  could  not 
afford  to  travel,  and  I  should  feel  so  much  encumbered  and  so 
anxious  in  case  of  sickness,  that  I  cannot  help  thinking  the  balance 
preponderates  on  the  side  of  her  remaining  at  home.  Dr.  Alexander, 
who  approves  heartily  of  the  plan  as  far  as  the  Seminary  is  concerned, 
thinks  that  I  should  take  my  family ;  and  then  when  he  contemplates 
'the  difficulties  attending  such  a  course,  he  questions  the  prudence  of 
the  scheme.  He  thinks  I  could  not  command  myself  to  remain  six 
months  without  my  family.  Perhaps  not. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  Princeton, 
September  25,  1826,  the  following  communication  was 
received  from  the  two  senior  professors  of  the  Seminary : 

"The  undersigned  beg  leave  to  lay  before  the  Board  of  Directors 
the  following  representation.  Their  junior  colleague,  the  Rev.  Mr. 


102  AESVL'VES  TO  GO  TO  EUROPE.  [1826. 

Hodge,  although  he  has,  ever  since  his  appointment  to  the  office  of 
Professor,  discharged  its  duties  in  a  manner  which  reflects  equal  ho- 
nor on  his  attainments,  his  capacity,  his  diligence  and  his  fidelity, 
has  been  for  a  considerable  time  past  under  a  deep  impression  that 
^he  needed  further  advantages  of  leisurely  study,  particularly  in  some 
of  the  higher  departments  of  Biblical  criticism,  and  the  auxiliary 
branches  of  knowledge.  These  advantages  he  is  persuaded  he  can 
never  hope  fully  to  enjoy,  unless  he  shall  be  enabled  to  retire  for  a 
time  from  the  discharge  of  his  duties  in  the  Seminary,  and  to  obtain 
access  to  those  richly  furnished  libraries  and  those  eminently  skilled 
and  profound  masters  of  Oriental  Literature  of  whose  assistance  he 
cannot  avail  himself  in  his  present  situation. 

"  For  the  attainment  of  these  advantages  it  is  his  earnest  desire 
that  he  may  be  permitted  to  suspend  the  discharge  of  his  official  du- 
ties in  the  Seminary  for  eighteen  months  or  two  years  for  the  purpose 
of  visiting  Europe  and  pursuing  certain  select  branches  of  study,  with 
the  peculiar  aids  which  the  best  institutions  in  that  quarter  of  the 
globe  can  alone  furnish.  He  has  no  doubt  that  the  benefits  likely  to 
accrue  from  such  a  step  would  be  of  great  importance  to  himself,  and 
would  add  in  no  small  degree  to  his  capacity  for  serving  the  interests 
of  the  Institution  under  the  care  of  your  venerable  Board. 

"  The  undersigned  would  respectfully  state  that  after  bestowing  on 
this  plan  the  most  serious  and  mature  consideration  in  their  power, 
they  certainly  concur  in  these  views  of  their  colleague,  and  would 
unite,  as  far  as  would  be  proper,  the  expression  of  their  wishes  with 
his,  that  it  may  be  carried  into  effect. 

"  In  contemplating  this  subject  they  cannot  overlook  the  fact  that 
several  of  the  most  enlightened  and  important  institutions  of  our 
country  have  adopted  a  measure  of  this  kind,  and  in  some  instances 
entirely  at  their  own  expense ;  nor  can  it  be  doubted  that  an  impres- 
sion of  the  utility  and  importance  of  making  this  provision  for  the 
improvement  of  public  instruction  is  daily  becoming  more  deep  and 
extensive. 

"  The  undersigned  would  also  take  the  liberty  of  suggesting,  in  case 
the  Directors  should  think  proper  to  accede  to  the  wishes  of  Mr. 
Hodge,  whether  he  might  not  unite  with  a  short  residence  in  Europe, 
for  his  own  improvement,  an  agency  to  solicit  monies  and  books  for 
the  use  of  the  Seminary.  They  cannot,  indeed,  indulge  very  large 
expectations  of  the  probable  avails  of  such  an  agency,  yet  they  enter- 
tain no  doubt  that  quite  enough  would  result  from  it  to  reward  and 
justify  the  effort. 

"  They  have  only  to  add  that  Mr.  Hodge,  in  case  the  Board  should f 
be  pleased  to  think  favorably  of  his  plan,  does  not  expect  them  to  in- 


ALT.  28.]  LEAVES  HOME.  1 03 

cur  any  additional  expense  whatever  in  giving  their  consent  to  the 
proposed  enterprise.  All  that  he  asks  is  that  his  salary  may  be  con- 
tinued during  his  absence.  He  is  ready  and  willing  to  provide  at  his 
own  expense  a  reputable  substitute  to  carry  on  his  department  of  in- 
struction in  the  Seminary,  and  one  whose  services  he  has  no  doubt 

will  prove  entirely  acceptable." 

"A.  ALEXANDER. 

SAMUEL  MILLER." 
"  Princeton,  Sept.  25,  1826." 

The  Board  gave  their  consent  to  the  plan  on  the  condi- 
tions above  offered.  Mr.  John  W.  Nevin,  a  member  of  the 
class  just  graduating,  was  appointed  the  substitute  for  Mr. 
Hodge  during  his  absence,  and  he  fulfilled  the  office  for  the 
following  two  years  with  eminent  ability.  He  has  been 
since  known  over  both  continents  as  the  founder  of  the 
Mercersburg  school  of  Theology. 

Mr.  Hodge  placed  his  family  in  the  care  of  his  mother 
and  brother,  in  Philadelphia,  and  sailed  from  New  York  for 
Havre,  October,  1826. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


FROM  HIS  DEPARTURE  FOR  EUROPE  OCTOBER,  1826,  TO  HIS 
RETURN  TO  PRINCETON,  SEPTEMBER,  1828. 


LETTERS  TO  HIS  WIFE,  MOTHER  AND  DR.  ALEXANDER  RELATING  TO  HIS  VOY- 
AGE AND  RESIDENCE  IN  PARIS.— HIS  JOURNAL  KEPT  DURING  HIS 
RESIDENCE  IN  HALLE  AND  BERLIN.— LETTERS  FROM  DRS.  ALEXANDER 
AND  MILLER. — HIS  OWN  LETTERS  RELATING  TO  HIS  VISIT  TO  SWITZER- 
LAND AND  RETURN  HOME,  VIA  PARIS,  LONDON  AND  LIVERPOOL. 

PROF.  HODGE  sailed  direct  from  New  York   on  the 
packet  ship  "  Edward  Quesnel/'  for  Havre,  early  in  Octo- 
ber.    The  first  letter  which  remains  is  addressed  to  his 
mother  from  Rouen. 

ROUEN,  October  28,  1826. 

My  Dear  Mother: — Your  kind  letter,  which  I  received  before 
leaving  Princeton,  has  often  been  the  subject  of  my  grateful  remem- 
brance, especially  when  reperused.  _Every  day  that  I  live  I  feel  more 
deeply  the  extent  of  my  obligations  to  you,  for  every  day  I  become 
more  sensible  of  the  value  of  the  education  which  your  disinterested 
exertions  secured  your  children,  and  of  the  restraints  and  counsels 
which  kept  our  youthful  feet  "  from  the  paths  of  the  destroyer."  It 
is  one  of  my  daily  subjects  of  thankfulness  that  God  has  given  us 
such  a  mother.  May  He,  my  beloved  parent,  richly  reward  you  for 
all  your  sacrifices,  and  give  you  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  your  chil- 
dren answering  your  expectations,  and  above  all  things  the  inex- 
pressible happiness  of  finding  them  at  His  right  hand  in  peace. 

Your  loving  son,  CHARLES. 

104 


JET.  28.]  ,    FIRST  IMPRESSIONS.  105 

He  writes  to  Dr.  Alexander  from  Paris. 

PARIS,  November  2,  1826. 

My  Dear  Sir:— (There  is  no  person  beyond  my  own  family  of 
whom  I  think  as  frequently,  or  with  as  much  affection,  now  that  I 
am  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  as  yourself;  and  there  is  no  person 
excepting  my  mother  to  whom  I  feel  so  deeply  obligated.  From  my 
boyhood  I  have  experienced  your  paternal  kindness^  and  shall 
cherish  as  long  as  I  live  the  recollection  of  your  goodness,  and  of 
the  many  blessings  which  through  you  God  has  mercifully  granted 
me. 

It  is  now  a  week  since  we  arrived  at  Havre.  Our  passage  was 
rather  longer  than  usual,  as  we  were  at  sea  twenty-five  days.  The 
greater  part  of  the  time  the  weather  was  unpleasant,  and  the  voyage 
much  more  boisterous  than  I  expected  at  this  season  of  the  year. 
We,  however,  escaped  every  accident,  and,  indeed,  were  never  in 
circumstances  to  excite  any  apprehension.  I  found  the  sea  delight- 
ful when  the  weather  was  fine,  but  very  much  the  reverse  when  we 
were  driven  to  the  cabin  by  rain  and  storms.  It  requires  no  little 
strength  to  withstand  the  disposition  to  listless  idleness  which  seems 
to  take  possession  of  every  one  on  shipboard.  If  I  may  judge  by 
my  own  experience  the  sea  is  no  place  for  study.  The  only  thing  of 
much  interest  I  saw  at  Havre  was  the  port  itself,  which  is  entirely 
formed  of  piers,  projecting  a  considerable  distance  into  the  sea,  be- 
tween which  the  water  flows  at  high  tide  into  the  docks,  where  it  is 
confined  by  large  gates,  which  are  closed  as  soon  as  the  tide  begins 
to  fall.  Here  the  shipping  is  kept  floating,  although  the  canal  which 
leads  to  the  docks  is  at  low  water  perfectly  dry.  Hence,  it  is  only  at 
high  tide  that  vessels  can  go  either  in  or  out.  This  is  a  great  incon- 
venience, for  it  obliged  us  to  beat  on  and  off  the  harbor  from  eight 
in  the  morning  until  five  in  the  evening.  The  moment  the  ship 
touched  the  dock,  a  police  officer  in  military  dress  came  on  board 
and  demanded  our  passports.  As  I  and  several  others  had  none, 
we  were  obliged  to  appear  before  the  American  Consul,  and  produce 
evidence  of  our  being  citizens  of  the  United  States.  The  Consul 
gave  us  a  certificate  to  that  effect,  upon  which  the  police  granted  us 
a  passport  to  proceed  to  Paris.  Our  baggage  was  subjected  to  the 
same  ceremony.  This  form  was  carried  through  with  a  good  deal  of 
politeness  by  the  officers,  who  frequently  begged  our  pardon,  and 
asked  permission  very  humbly  to  do  what  we  had  no  power  to 
prevent. 

The  moment  you  set  your  foot  on  land  you  see  you  are  in  the  old 
world.  The  houses  are  antiquated  in  their  appearance  in  the  ex- 


IO6  FIRST  IMPRESSIONS.  [1826. 

treme.  The  streets  are  narrow,  destitute  of  side-walks  and  dirty.  The 
people  are  poorly  dressed,  clattering  along  on  wooden  shoes,  none  of 
the  women  (at  least  the  poorer  ones)  wearing  bonnets,  but  in  place 
of  them  a  singular  kind  of  cap.  You  soon  see  also,  that  the  land  is 
France.  We  had  not  walked  far  before  we  heard  the  violin,  and 
discovered  singing  and  dancing  going  on  one  side  of  the  way,  while 
on  the  other  people  were  praying  on  their  knees  at  the  door  of  a 
chapel.  There  is  a  very  ancient  and  fine-looking  church  at  Havre. 
On  entering  it  I  was  very  much  struck  with  finding  nearly  two  hun- 
dred boys  in  companies  of  about  fifty  each,  reciting  their  prayers  or 
other  religious  lessons  to  the  priests.  I  have  never  in  any  Sabbath- 
school,  nor  in  any  Protestant  church  in  our  own  country  heard  chil- 
dren recite  so  well.  They  appeared  to  have  got  their  tasks  perfectly, 
and  repeated  them  with  wonderful  volubility.  The  priest  appeared 
to  take  a  great  deal  of  pains  in  instructing  them,  explaining  and 
enforcing  what  had  been  recited.  The  necessity  of  the  sacraments 
was  in  one  case  the  subject  of  the  teacher's  remarks.  I  found  the 
same  thing  in  Rouen  when  I  went  to  the  great  cathedral  after  the 
service  in  the  Protestant  church  was  over.  It  is  no  wonder  that  the 
Catholic  religion  takes  so  firm  a  hold  of  its  votaries,  since  it  is  so 
faithfully  instilled  into  the  minds  of  the  young.  I  fear  that  in  this 
respect  Protestants  are  not  as  assiduous.' 

I  expected  as  soon  as  I  got  into  the  country  to  lose  sight  of  the 
striking  indications  of  a  foreign  land  which  were  so  obvious  in  town. 
But  in  this  I  was  disappointed.  [Every  thing  strikes  a  stranger  as 
novel.  He  sees  women  working  in  the  fields, 'asses  harnessed  with 
immense  wooden  saddles  and  almost  hid  by  the  immense  baskets 
appended  to  either  side,  ploughs  furnished  with  wheels ;  the  whole 
country  destitute  of  any  enclosure,  fields  of  grass  or  grain  and  vine- 
yards all  mingled  together  and  coming  down  to  the  road-side  with- 
out the  slightest  fence  to  protect  them.  The  cattle  I  saw  feeding 
were  generally  tied  by  the  horns  to  a  tree,  or  to  a  movable  stake 
fixed  in  the  ground.  If  this  was  not  the  case,  they  were  watched. 
I  frequently  saw  a  woman  with  two  or  three  cows  tied  by  the  horns, 
which  she  attended  from  one  part  of  the  field  to  another.  Flocks  of 
sheep  were  always  attended  by  a  shepherd  and  his  dog,  neither  of 
them  very  romantic-looking.  The  cottages  looked  ancient,  were 
thatched,  and  green  with  moss.  The  people  appeared  healthy  and 
happy,  but  their  habitations  very  destitute  of  what  we  should  con- 
sider comfort.  The  country  from  Havre  to  Rouen  is  very  far  supe- 
rior in  beauty  to  any  I  have  ever  seen.  I  had  no  conception  of  the 
effect  of  long-continued  cultivation  on  the  general  aspect  of  the  coun- 
try. The  fields  of  grass  were  as  smooth  as  lawns,  and  the  fields  in- 


JET.  28.]  FIRST  IMPRESSIONS.  I  o  7 

tended  for  grain  were  like  Dr.  Miller  s  garden.  Our  country  is  too 
new  to  enter  into  a  comparison  with  this  in  any  species  of  beauty 
which  does  not  come  at  once  from  the  hands  of  the  great  Creator. 
But  our  country  people  are  far  superior  in  their  appearance  to  the 
same  class  here.  Not  in  their  personal  appearance,  for  the  popula- 
tion of  France,  as  far  as  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of  observing, 
look  more  healthy,  and  consequently  handsomer  than  ours,  but  in 
their  appearance  of  comfort,  independence  and  cultivation. 

There  are  two  views  on  the  banks  of  the  Seine  which  struck  me  as 
the  perfection  of  the  beautiful.  The  one  is  near  the  village  of  Cord- 
bee,  the  other  is  at  the  entrance  into  Rouen,  the  city  as  seen  from  a 
high  hill  just  on  the  edge  of  the  town.  I  presume  the  latter  is  one  of 
the  finest  in  France,  as  it  is  the  subject  of  a  Panorama  Mr.  Eastburn 
saw  exhibited  in  London.  I  entered  Rouen  with  greater  interest  than 
I  should  almost  any  other  place  in  France,  because  of  the  many  in- 
teresting historical  events  with  which  it  is  associated.  Of  its  eighty 
thousand  inhabitants,  only  twelve  hundred  are  now  Protestant.  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  attending  their  worship  on  Sabbath,  which  is  so 
similar  to  our  own,  that  I  felt  myself  quite  at  home.  There  were  not 
more  than  two  or  three  hundred  persons  present,  sitting  principally 
upon  chairs,  before  a  plain  pulpit.  The  preacher  appeared  to  be 
about  thirty-five  years  old,  and  was  fervent  and  simple  in  his  man- 
ner. His  sermon  was  nearly  an  hour  long,  and  was  listened  to  with 
commendable  attention.  I  went  up  to  the  pastor  after  the  service, 
and  asked  him  whether  he  could  speak  English.  To  my  great  gra- 
tification he  answered  in  the  affirmative.  He  told  me  the  extent  of 
his  charge,  and  that  the  venerable  church  in  which  they  worshipped 
was  formerly  a  Catholic  chapel,  given  to  the  Protestants  at  the  time 
of  the  Revolution.  He  also  informed  me  that  there  were  several  Bri- 
tish subjects  in  Rouen,  principally  Scotch  weavers,  who  assemble 
every  Sabbath  afternoon  to  hear  a  sermon  read  by  some  English 
gentleman.  On  this  Sabbath  there  happened  to  be  a  clergyman  of 
the  Church  of  England  in  town,  who  preached  and  performed  the 
service.  I  felt  rejoiced  to  hear  the  praise  of  God  in  a  foreign  land  in 
my  own  language,  and  could  not  help  contrasting  the  beautiful  sim- 
plicity of  the  service,  both  morning  and  afternoon,  with  the  service 
which  I  had  witnessed  in  the  early  part  of  the  day  in  the  great  Cathe- 
dral. This  is  said  to  be  the  finest  Gothic  structure  in  France,  and 
certainly  to  an  eye  accustomed  to  the  church  in  Princeton  it  is  suffi- 
ciently imposing.  I  saw  it  first  late  in  the  evening,  and  on  entering 
its  "long-drawn  aisles,"  lighted  only  here  and  there  by  a  dim  lamp 
which  scarcely  revealed  the  lofty  roof,  I  did  not  wonder  that  such 
places  were  trod  with  awe.  In  the  morning  I  found  at  least  fifty 


108  FIRST  IMPRESSIONS.  [1826. 

priests  and  other  religious  officers  engaged  in  chanting  the  service, 
and  about  two  hundred  persons,  principally  poor,  kneeling  or  sitting 
in  different  parts  of  the  building.  No  one  appeared  attending  to  what 
was  going  on,  or  at  least  few.  This  building  is  said  to  have  been 
founded  by  William  the  Conqueror.  One  of  the  towers  is  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-six  feet  high,  and  another  much  higher  was  destroyed 
a  few  years  ago  by  lightning.  The  painted  windows  are  very  striking 
to  one  who  has  never  seen  any  thing  of  the  kind.  The  statue  of  Joan 
of  Arc  stands  in  the  centre  of  the  town.  There  is  nothing  very 
striking  in  it,  except  that  it  marks  the  spot  on  which  the  heroine  met 
her  melancholy  fate. 

After  leaving  Rouen  the  vineyards  became  very  frequent.  They 
appeared  to  be  composed  of  currant  bushes  rather  than  grape  vines, 
which  are  only  two  or  three  feet  high.  The  grapes  were  all  gathered 
and  the  leaves  burned.  The  gardens  here,  however,  look  much 
more  green  than  they  do  with  us  at  this  season.  We  have  lettuce 
every  day  for  dinner,  and  I  have  eaten  strawberries  which  were  very 
fine.  They  cultivate  a  species  called  the  Alpine,  which  continues  in 
bearing  until  frost.  There  has  yet  been  no  cold  weather,  but  the  sun 
has  scarcely  been  visible  since  I  arrived,  and  the  rain,  though  not 
heavy,  is  almost  constant.  We  did  not  reach  Paris  until  nine  or  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  so  that  I  lost  the  pleasure  of  a  distant  view  of  this 
great  city.  We  entered  by  a  very  broad,  fine  street,  passing  the  gar- 
den of  the  Tuilleries,  the  Place  Vendome  (ornamented  with  the  co- 
lumn made  of  the  cannon  taken  by  Napoleon  at  Austerlitz),  and  se- 
veral of  the  finest  buildings  of  the  city.  It  is  to  this  circumstance  that 
I  refer  the  strong  impression  I  received  of  the  grandeur  of  this  cele- 
brated metropolis  on  first  entering  it,  which  has  been  rather  weakened 
than  increased  by  viewing  other  and  less  imposing  parts  of  it.  The 
streets  are  generally  narrow,  excessively  muddy,  destitute  of  side- 
walks, and  constantly  crowded  with  all  kinds  of  vehicles.  I  have 
taken  a  rapid  review  of  the  Louvre,  which  contains  a  gallery  of  paint- 
ings one  thousand  three  hundred  feet  in  length,  of  the  Tuilleries,  of 
the  Luxemburg,  of  the  king's  library,  and  of  some  other  objects  of 
interest.  I  attended  the  celebration  of  mass  in  the  king's  chapel  on 
the  first  of  the  month.  This  chapel  is  a  tastefully  ornamented  room 
in  the  Palace,  surrounded  on  the  inside  by  a  gallery  supported  by 
large  stone  pillars.  I  unfortunately  took  a  stand  which  prevented 
my  having  a  view  of  his  most  Christian  Majesty  and  the  Royal  fa- 
mily. The  officiating  bishop  was  dressed  in  a  splendid  robe  of  gold 
cloth,  and  several  of  his  attendants  were  almost  as  richly  adorned. 
The  middle  aisle  was  filled  with  the  royal  guard.  The  music  was 
said  to  be  very  fine.  It  made  no  impression  on  me,  much  less,  at 


MT.  29.]  LIFE  IN  PARIS. 

least,  than  I  have  experienced  from  hearing  the  simplest  melody. 
There  was  nothing  in  the  whole  service  which  appeared  to  me  at  all 
adapted  to  make  any  man  either  wiser  or  better.  To-morrow  is  the 
regular  day  for  a  great  festival  (the  king's  birth-day,  I  believe),  on 
which  it  is  customary  to  distribute  wine  and  provisions  to  the  multi- 
tude, to  illuminate  the  garden  of  the  Tuilleries,  to  exhibit  fire-works, 
&c.  But  as  to-morrow  happens  to  be  a  fast-day,  all  this  is  put  off  to 
the  Sabbath ! 

I  hope  you  will  be  kind  enough  to  write  to  me.  Letters  from  home 
are  more  precious  than  gold.  Remember  me  most  affectionately  to 
Mrs.  Alexander  and  every  member  of  your  family.  Lbeg  of  you,  my 
dear  father,  not  to  forget  me  in  your  prayers,  for  I  greatly  need  them./ 
I  need  hardly  request  you  to  present  Dr.  Miller  the  assurance  of  my 
affectionate  and  grateful  remembrance. 

Yours  with  respect  and  affection, 

C.  HODGE. 

LIFE   IN   PARIS. 

He  remained  at  Paris  from  the  ist  of  November  to  the 
1 5th  of  February,  studying  French,  and  Arabic  and  Syriac 
with  De  Sacy. 

He  settled  in  a  handsomely  furnished  room  near  the  Pont 
Neuf,  in  the  Place  Dauphine,  at  the  apex  of  the  Island, 
formed  by  the  Seine,  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  He  boarded 
in  the  family  of  a  Mr.  Oberlin,  one  of  the  librarians  of  the 
King's  Library,  living  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  thorough- 
fare to  his  lodging-room.  All  his  associations  were  with 
the  Oberlin  family,  who  spoke  only  French,  and  with  a  num- 
ber of  agreeable  fellow-boarders,  consisting  of  two  barons, 
one  doctor  in  philosophy,  and  one  captain  in  the  army, 
who  were  Swedes,  together  with  a  young  Englishman,  son 
of  Sir  Henry  Parnell,  M.  P. 

MR.  HODGE   TO    HIS   WIFE. 

PARIS,  Nov.  20,  1826. 

Dear  Sarah : — Young  Parnell  made  his  appearance  among  us  this 
morning  for  the  first  time.  He  is  a  handsome,  amiable-looking  youth 
of  about  twenty.  He  asked  me,  immediately  after  our  introduction, 
whether  I  came  to  Paris  with  a  view  of  studying  the  French  language. 


I  10  LIFE  IN  PARIS.  [1826. 

I  answered,  "  Partly  so,  but  principally  with  a  view  to  Biblical  stu- 
dies." "Ah!"  said  he,  "they  are  the  most  delightful  in  the  world. 
I  wish  I  could  devote  my  whole  life  to  them."  I  said,  "You  are- a 
citizen  of  a  free  country,  and  can  do  as  you  like."  He  answered, 
"Yes;  but  as  I  happen  to  be  the  oldest  son,  my  father  wishes  me  to 
enter  political  life.  I  still  hope,  however,  the  Lord  will  open  my  way 
to  the  ministry."  You  may  suppose  that  I  felt  somewhat  surprised 
and  greatly  pleased. 

MR.    HODGE   TO    HIS   WIFE. 

PARIS,  Dec.  21,  1826. 

My  Dear  Sarah  : — I  went  on  Monday  evening  to  Professor  Stap- 
fer's — a  gentleman  who  has  been  very  kind  and  very  useful  to  me. 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  there  Benjamin  Constant,  with  whose 
name  you  must  be  familiar.  He  is  one  of  the  most  distinguished  li- 
berals of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  and  is  a  man  of  extensive  influ- 
ence. He  reminded  me  very  much  of  Timothy  Pickering  in  his  ap- 
pearance, although  a  younger  man.  There  were  two  Protestant  cler- 
gymen there.  One  of  them  was  the  younger  Monod,  a  very  evange- 
lical man,  who  has  undertaken  the  Herculean  task  of  translating 
Scott's  Commentary  into  French. 

I  wrote  to  Mr.  Robinson  (Rev.  Dr.  Edward  Robinson),  of  Ando- 
ver,  now  in  Germany,  to  ascertain  which  university  offered  the  great- 
est advantages,  and  the  expenses  of  living,  &c.  I  have  received  a 
very  full  and  satisfactory  answer  from  him.  He  tells  me  that  for  the 
purposes  for  which  I  have  come  hither  there  is  no  comparison  between 
any  other  university  at  present  and  Halle.  That  the  advice  of  every 
person  he  consulted  directed  him  to  that  place,  and  the  result  of  his 
own  observation,  after  spending  six  weeks  in  Gottingen,  and  then 
proceeding  to  Halle,  confirmed  him  in  the  correctness  of  all  he  had 
previously  heard.  There  is  one  very  important  consideration,  that 
one  of  its  leading  theological  professors  (Tholuck)  is  a  very  pious 
man,  the  like  of  which  is  not  to  be  found  elsewhere.  Halle,  like  all 
old  European  cities,  has  narrow,  gloomy,  and  dirty  streets.  The  so- 
ciety, however,  he  says,  is  good,  and  the  facilities  for  study  very  great. 
I  had,  before  I  received  his  letter,  heard  enough  to  determine  me  that 
Gottingen  was  not  the  place  for  me.  Eichhorn  is  superannuated; 
Staudlin  is  dead;  Planck  is  in  ruins  under  the  epilepsy,  so  that,  as 
far  as  theology  and  Biblical  literature  is  concerned,  it  is  almost  de- 
spoiled. With  regard  to  expenses,  Robinson  says  that  Halle  is 
cheaper  than  Gottingen,  though  at  the  latter  a  student  need  not  spend 
more  than  three  hundred  or  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  year. 


JET.  29.]  LIFE  IN  PARIS.  Ill 

With  respect  to  Halle  he  says :  "  I  find  all  my  expenses  here,  exclu- 
sive of  clothes,  books,  and  traveling,  and  including  instruction,  lec- 
tures, &c.,  amount  to  about  five  rix  dollars  per  week,  i.e.,  three  dol- 
lars and  seventy-five  cents  of  our  money,  which  is  at  the  rate  of  less 
than  two  hundred  dollars  per  annum."  After  making  all  allow- 
ance, it  is  certainly  very,  very  cheap.  I  pay  my  Arabic  teacher  alone 
almost  as  much  for  three  lessons  a  week,  i.  e.,  I  have  to  pay  five 
francs  or  one  dollar  per  lesson.  Paris,  therefore,  is  not  the  cheapest 
place  in  the  world.  Mr.  Robinson  informs  me  that  the  spring  lec- 
tures commence  about  the  middle  of  April.  Unless  I  am  there  at 
least  two  months  before  that  time,  I  shall  be  utterly  unable  to  enjoy 
the  benefit  of  the  course.  I  have,  therefore,  made  up  my  mind  to 
leave  this  about  the  beginning  of  February. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  WIFE. 

PARIS,  Dec.  28,  1826. 

My  Dear  Sarah  : — I  would  follow  your  plan  of  writing  something 
every  day,  if  I  were  not  in  the  habit  of  spending  all  my  days  in  the 
same  manner.  I  rise  about  eight,  at  which  hour  I  have  my  French 
teacher  to  attend  on  Tuesday,  Thursday  and  Saturday.  On  other 
days  he  comes  at  two  o'clock.  I  read  and  study  until  half  past  ten, 
when  I  go  to  breakfast,  which  takes  rather  more  than  an  hour,  in- 
cluding delays.  I  then  return  to  my  room,  and  remain  until  half 
past  three,  when  I  go  three  times  in  the  week  to  my  Arabic  teacher. 
At  five  I  go  to  dinner,  and  remain  at  Mr.  Oberlin's  generally  to 
seven  or  later.  The  evening  is  almost  always  spent  at  home  reading 
and  studying  until  twelve,  when  I  go  to  bed.  When  I  go  out  it  is 
generally  from  ten  to  two. 

MR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  WIFE. 

PARIS,  Jan.  loth,  1827. 

My  Dear  Sirah  : — I  went  as  I  told  you  I  expected  to  do,  to  see  the 
king  dine  on  the  first  of  this  month.  We  passed  through  several  of  the 
apartments  of  the  palace,  which  were  very  splendidly  furnished,  es- 
pecially his  chamber  of  audience,  which  is  hung  with  crimson  velvet 
and  ornamented  with  gold.  The  dining-room  is  very  long  and  nar- 
row. One  end  was  crowded  with  ladies  in  their  court-dresses,  the 
opposite  end  was  occupied  by  musicians  and  singers.  Around  the 
table,  which  was  in  the  shape  of  a  horse-shoe,  the  principal  officers 
of  the  king  were  standing,  old  Talleyrand  among  the  rest.  His  Ma- 
jesty sat  in  the  centre,  the  Dauphin  on  his  right,  and  the  Dauphiness 


H2  LIFE  IN  PARIS.  [1827. 

on  the  left.  The  former  looked  like  a  very  good-natured  man,  but 
his  wife  always  appears  out  of  humor.  The  little  Duchess  De  Berry 
sat  next  to  the  Dauphin,  and  as  usual  seemed  full  of  gayety  and  good 
spirits.  She  is  as  much  liked  by  the  French  as  the  Dauphiness  is  dis- 
liked. Although  royalty  always  sinks  upon  a  close  inspection,  yet  I 
am  very  glad  I  went.  How  it  is  that  the  million  can  by  choice  con- 
sent to  exalt  one  like  themselves  so  much  above  them,  I  cannot 
conceive. 

My  young  friend  Parnell  has  entered  the  army.  This  step  was 
much  against  his  will,  but  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  had,  as  a  great 
favor,  offered  his  father  a  commission  for  him  in  the  guards,  which 
he  accepted,  and  then  sent  to  his  son  for  his  consent.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  faultless  young  men  I  have  ever  seen.  This,  however,  is 
only  negative  praise,  though  amounting  to  a  great  deal.  His  simple, 
humble,  devotional  piety  is  his  great  characteristic.  When  he  is  gone 
I  shall  lose  the  principal  source  of  my  enjoyment  in  Paris. 

MR.  HODGE    TO    HIS  WIFE. 

PARIS,  Feb.  I2th,  1827. 

My  Dear  Sarah : — I  am  now  preparing  for  my  departure  from 
Paris,  which  I  expect  to  leave  on  Thursday  or  Friday,  the  I5th  or 
i6th. 

j  preached  yesterday  for  the  fourth  time  for  Mr.  Wilkes,  the  Eng- 
lish preacher  in  Paris,  who  has  been  so  unwell  that  he  has  not  been 
able  to  preach  for  more  than  a  month.  I.  had  the  honor  of  having 
among  my  hearers  Gen.  Lafayette's  family  ;  that  is,  half  a  dozen  of 
his  daughters  and  grand-daughters.  I  was  very  much  pleased  with 
them  when  I  saw  them  a  few  evenings  since  at  the  General's.  His 
grand- daughters  are  very  unaffected,  pleasing  girls,  and  some  of  them 
are  quite  pretty.  The  old  gentleman  looked  remarkably  well,  and 
is  as  kind  and  polite  as  possible.  I  left  my  letter  and  card  on  the 
third  ineffectual  call,  and  received  soon  after  a  very  kind  note  from 
him.  I  met  there  Baron  Humboldt,  and  was  introduced  to  him.  He 
is  not  a  striking,  but  a  pleasant-looking  man,  very  affable,  and  has  a 
fine  forehead.  He  kindly  offered  me  letters  of  introduction  to  Ger- 
many, to  any  of  his  correspondents  I  might  desire.  An  offer  I  was 
not  slow  to  accept. 

Your  affectionate  husband,  C.  H. 

A  former  occasion  of  his  preaching  at  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Wilkes's  service,  is  noticed  in  the  Journal  kept  by  Dr.  Tho- 
mas Guthrie,  then  a  young  man  studying  in  Paris : 


JET.  29.]  LIFE  IN  PARIS.  i  i  3 

"  Jan  21.  I  then  set  off  for  Mark  Wilkes's  service,  which  is  held  in 
a  part  of  the  Oratoire.  The  preacher  was  a  Mr.  Hodge,  an  American 
professor,  who  had  come  to  Europe  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the 
Oriental  languages.  He  intended  to  do  so  in  Germany,  but  was  at 
present  studying  French  in  Paris,  as  a  medium  of  communication 
with  the  Germans.  He  was  a  young-like,  intelligent,  fair,  good- 
looking,  thin  and  rather  little  man,  (Guthrie  was  six  feet  two  inches) ; 
and  gave  us  a  capital  sermon  from  the  I9th  verse  of  the  fifth  chapter 
of  i  John.  The  singing  was  very  beautiful.  The  English  sounded 
most  sweetly  and  pleasantly  to  my  ear.  It  brought  vividly  before 
my  mind  the  memories  of  my  native  land  ;  while  the  smallness  of  the 
numbers,  the  upper  room  in  which  we  were  met,  the  irreligious  and 
idolatrous  country  in  which  we  were  maintaining  the  pious  worship 
of  God,  reminded  me  of  the  infant  state  of  the  Christian  Church." 

Mr.  Hodge  writes  to  Dr.  Alexander : 

Paris,  Jan.  29,  1827. 

My  Dear  Sir: — From  the  time  at  which  the  winter  course  in  the 
German  universities  commenced,  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  derive 
any  advantages  from  the  public  instructions  had  I  proceeded  ac- 
cording to  my  original  plan.  I  therefore  thought  it  most  advisable 
to  spend  a  few  months  here  in  studying  Arabic,  and  in  gaining  as 
much  knowledge  of  the  French  as  would  enable  me  to  prosecute  my 
journey  without  suffering  all  the  inconveniences  of  being  completely 
deaf  and  dumb.  The  advantages  for  the  study  of  the  Oriental  lan- 
guages here  are  very  considerable,  especially  for  those  who  wish  to 
cultivate  them  for  the  sake  of  their  own  literature,  or  for  commercial 
purposes.  De  Sacy  lectures  three  times  every  week  on  Arabic,  and 
three  times  on  the  Persic.  His  method  does  not  differ  from  the  or- 
dinary manner  of  hearing  a  recitation  with  us.  His  class,  which 
does  not  consist  of  more  than  seven  or  eight,  read  the  Koran  on  one 
day,  and  a  part  of  his  Chrestomathy  on  the  other.  He  does  little 
more  than  explain  the  force  of  the  words,  and  any  difficulties 
which  may  occur  in  the  grammatical  form  or  construction.  He  is 
very  particular  and  very  attentive,  devoting  upwards  of  two  hours  to 
each  exercise.  Besides  this  Professor  Caussin  de  Perceval  lectures 
on  the  Arabic  grammar  three  times  a  week.  De  Sacy  also  lectures  on 
Persian.  Quatremere  on  Hebrew.  His  course,  however,  is  purely  ele- 
mentary, at  least  at  this  season,  and  he  has  only  two  or  three  hearers. 
Lectures  are  delivered  upon  almost  all  the  Eastern  languages  ;  San- 
skrit, Chinese,  Bengalee,  Hindoostanee,  &c.  All  these,  as  well  as  the 
instructions  in  the  sciences,  law,  and  medicine,  are  public  and  gratui- 


1 1 4  LIFE  IN  PARIS.  [1827. 

tous.  There  is  a  great  difference  between  the  lecture-rooms  of  the 
Professor  of  Chemistry  and  the  Professor  of  Hebrew.  The  latter 
having  two  and  the  former  two  thousand  hearers,  The  establish- 
ments connected  with  the  medical  profession,  the  schools  and  hos- 
pitals are  upon  a  most  munificent  scale ;  indeed  nothing  can  be  more 
liberal  than  all  the  arrangements  of  the  government  connected  with 
the  great  literary  and  scientific  institutions  of  the  metropolis. 

I  have  attended  the  meetings  of  the  Asiatic  Society,  which  consists 
of  forty  or  fifty  near-sighted  Orientalists,  of  whom  De  Sacy  is  the 
President.  It  was  at  first  amusing  and  surprising  to  see  every  man 
with  the  paper  or  book  he  wished  to  read  almost  in  immediate  con- 
tact with  his  face.  The  worthy  President  is  as  remarkable  for  the 
shortness  of  his  sight  as  for  the  depth  of  his  knowledge.  This  is  not 
a  comforting  account  for  Addison,  who  has  commenced  already  pay- 
ing the  penalty  for  this  species  of  learning.  The  proceedings  of  this 
Society,  having  no  connection  with  the  Biblical  subjects,  are  not  to 
me  very  interesting. 

I  have  also  attended  the  meeting  of  the  Institute,  which  consists  of 
the  most  distinguished  literary  .and  scientific  men  of  Paris,  having  La 
Place  for  their  President.  At  these  meetings  some  paper  is  read  by 
one  of  the  members,  and  afterwards  discussed.  Arrangements  are 
made  for  the  accommodation  of  strangers  and  others  not  connected 
with  the  Society,  of  whom  a  considerable  number  are  usually  pre- 
sent. 

I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  go  to  Halle  instead  of  Gottingen.  Mr. 
Robinson  informs  me  that  more  attention  is  paid  to  Biblical  literature 
at  Halle  than  at  any  other  university.  It  has  also  the  great  advan- 
tage of  having  Tholuck  within  its  walls,  who  'is  as  -much  distinguished 
for  piety  as  for  his  learning.  I  have  seen  a  little  work  of  his  on  the 
Theology  of  the  Ancient  Persians,  which  states  in  the  title-page  that 
the  materials  were  derived  from  Arabic,  Persic  and  Turkish  manu- 
scripts, in  the  Royal  Library  of  Berlin.  As  Tholuck  is  at  present  not 
more  than  eight  or  nine  and  twenty,  he  must  have  published  that 
work  when  he  was  about  twenty-four  or  five !  This  is  a  wonder  to 
me.  I  have  also  seen  a  treatise  of  his  to  show  that  Christ  is  the  cen- 
tral sun  and  key  of  the  Old  Testament.  His  work  on  the  Romans,  I 
was  told  by  Profesor  Stapfer  here,  was  the  best  that  has  been  pubr 
lished.  He  has  also  written  a  work  which  has  produced  a  great  im- 
pression, on  the  doctrine  of  Redemption.  One  of  the  leading  Pro- 
fessors of  Berlin  also,  Neander,  is  orthodox  on  all  the  great 
points. 

Yours  with  filial  respect  and  affection, 

C.  H. 


JET.  29.]  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  1 1  5 

LEAVES    PARIS    FOR    HALLE. 

He  left  Paris  on  the  I5th  of  February,  1827,  at  5  o'clock, 
p.  M.,  and  traveled  by  diligence  during  the  coldest  weather 
of  that  entire  winter,  through  Chalons,  Metz,  Mayence, 
Frankfort  and  Leipsic  to  Halle,  passing-  the  Rhine  on  the 
ice.  He  arrived  at  Halle,  Wednesday  morning,  February 
28th,  at  2  o'clock. 

The  same  day  he  wrote  to  his  wife. 

My  Dear  Sarah : — Halle  is,  beyond  dispute,  the  dirtiest,  ugliest, 
gloomiest  town  of  its  size  I  ever  saw.  It  is  a  great  relief  to  find  two 
Americans  here  who  welcome  a  countryman  with  sincere  pleasure. 
Mr.  Robinson  I  think  you  saw  in  Princeton.  He  is  reserved  and 
cold,  but  at  the  same  time  he  appears  to  be  really  kind,  and  puts 
himself  to  more  trouble  to  be  of  service  than  many  whose  feelings 
lead  them  to  a  more  warm  and  cordial  expression  of  good-will.  He 
is  one  of  those  men,  I  suspect,  who  slowly  and  surely  make  their  way 
to  your  confidence,  which  they  seldom  show  to  be  misplaced.  I  an- 
ticipate, therefore,  much  solid  advantage  from  being  associated  with 
him.  I  have  taken  a  room  next  to  his  in  a  house  which  belongs  to 
and  is  in  part  occupied  by  Gesenius.  Mr.  Cunningham,  from  Boston, 
is  in  the  same  house.  He  is  a  handsome  young  man,  apparently 
very  amiable  and  quite  prepossessing.  We  breakfast  and  tea  sepa- 
rately in  our  own  rooms,  and  dine  together  at  half-past  twelve  at  a 
public  house.  The  rest  of  the  day  is  taken  up  in  studying  and  at- 
tending lectures,  which  is  the  best  manner  of  attaining  this  exceed- 
ingly difficult  language.  Your  husband,  C.  H. 

The  day  after  his  arrival  he  was  introduced  to  Gesenius, 
Niemeyer,  Tholuck  and  Jacob.  The  day  of  this  introduc- 
tion he  wrote  to  his  mother. 

HALLE,  March  i,  1827. 

Dear  Mother : — I  have  seen  two  of  the  most  celebrated  Professors, 
and  have  experienced  very  sensibly  how  a  man  sinks  into  his  proper 
size  when  seen  face  to  face.  When  viewed  from  the  other  side  of  the 
Atlantic,  these  men  seemed  something  out  of  the  ordinary  course  of 
things,  but  here,  whatever  their  minds  may  be,  their  bodies  are  made 
of  very  vulgar  clay.  I  have  never  been  so  disappointed  in  my  life 
as  in  the  appearance  of  Gesenius,  who  is  the  first  Hebrew  scholar 
probably  in  the  world.  He  is  not  more  than  forty  years  old,  frivo- 
lous, and,  what  is  a  wonder  here,  rather  foppish  in  his  appearance. 


1 1 6  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  [1827. 

He  has  a  silly  laugh  for  every  thing  he  says,  and  is  in  short  the  last 
man  I  should  have  selected  from  ten  thousand  as  a  distinguished 
philologist.  He  is,  however,  affable,  polite  and  kind  in  his  manners. 
Although  you  cannot  force  yourself  to  respect  him,  you  feel  at  ease 
arid  pleased  in  his  society.  All  physiognomy  and  craniology  fail,  I 
think,  in  reference  to  such  men,  for  his  talents  and  erudition  are  un- 
questionable. I  heard  him  lecture  this  afternoon,  and  though  by  no 
means  imposing  even  in  the  desk,  he  appears  to  more  advantage  than 
in  his  own  study.  Tholuck,  who  is  only  twenty-nine  or  thirty,  is  a 
very  remarkable  man.  He  is  a  wonder  in  this  part  of  Germany  for 
being  pious,  and  his  countenance  is  expressive  and  pleasing.  He 
speaks  a  multitude  of  languages,  and  English  among  the  rest.  The 
German  Professors  study  in  complete  dishabille.  It  is  a  great  pity 
that  the  literary  men  of  this  country  should  be  kept  so  perfectly 
distinct-  as  to  have  none  of  the  advantages  which  the  intercourse 
with  society  gives.  Tholuck,  however,  has  traveled  considerably, 
and,  when  out  of  his  study,  exhibits  a  very  different  appearance. 
Your  affectionate  husband,  C.  H. 

When  he  had  been  a  little  more  than  three  months  in  Halle, 
in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Alexander,  Mr.  Hodge  corrected  the  state- 
ment of  his  first  impression  of  Gesenius  given  above,  and 
gives  an  account  of  his  own  occupations.  "  Of  the  critics, 
Gesenius  appears  by  far  the  ablest,  and  is  perhaps,  doing 
the  most  harm,  although  he  confines  himself  to  the  Old 
Testament,  and  appears  to  give  himself  no  manner  of  con- 
cern about  any  doctrinal  subject,  and  to  take  no  interest  in 
any  discussion  not  purely  of  a  critical  character.  He  says 
a  book  is  genuine  or  not,  without  caring  in  the  least  whether 
it  pleases  one  party  or  the  other.  And  this  increases  his 
influence  as  it  gives  him  the  appearance  of  impartiality. 
The  first  impression  which  his  manner  and  appearance 
make,  as  I  mentioned  in  one  of  my  first  letters  from  Halle, 
is  by  no  means  favorable.  But  in  the  lecture-room  it  is 
very  different.  He  is  so  clear  and  animated,  and  so  per- 
fectly master  of  his  subject,  that  I  do  not  wonder  at  his 
being  so  popular.  His  lectures  on  Job  this  summer  are 
attended  by  more  than  three  hundred  students,  who  fill  the 
room  almost  to  suffocation.  I  attend  this  course — four 


JET.  29.]  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  1 1  7 

times  a  week — and  his  lecture  on  Syriac — twice  a  week — 
Reisig  on  the  more  difficult  points  of  Greek  grammar — 
five  times  a  week  ;  and  Tholuck's  Introduction  to  Theology 
— twice  a  week.  My  reason  for  attending  the  latter  is 
principally  to  gain  an  acquaintance  with  the  theological 
literature;  as  his  object  is  not  merely  to  give  a  systematic 
arrangement  of  the  subjects,  and  point  out  the  way  in 
which  they  should  be  studied,  but  also  to  give  the  character 
of  the  most  important  works  belonging  to  each  department. 
I  have  private  lessons  in  Syriac  three  times  a  week,  and 
German  still  every  day." 

IHe  was  at  once  admitted  to  the  intimacy  of  Tholuck, 
and  formed  a  personal  friendship,  which  on  both  sides  re- 
mained unabated  to  the  end  of  their  long  livesT]  Not  long 
before  his  own  death,  in  1877,  Tholuck  sent  his  friend  with 
warm  expressions  of  love,  a  photographic  likeness  of  him- 
self, which  was  cherished  by  his  friend  with  great  tender- 
ness for  the  short  year  he  survived  him. 

On  the  nth  of  March,  1827,  Mr.  Hodge  wrote  to  his  wife. 

My  Dearest  Sarah  : — I  have  by  this  time  become  quite  reconciled 
to  Halle.  The  weather  has  been  of  late  so  fine,  that  every  thing 
looks  more  pleasant.  I  have  not  seen  much  of  any  of  the  Professors 
here  excepting  Tholuck,  with  whom  I  walk  three  or  four  times  a  week 
for  an  hour  or  two  together.  He  has  been  also  kind  enough  to  call 
two  or  three  times  and  read  German  with  me.  Being  a  young  man 
and  a  pious  one,  and  being  very  fond  of  exercising  himself  in  Eng- 
lish, which  is  one  of  the  fifteen  languages  he  understands,  he  puts 
us  entirely  on  a  level  with  himself,  and  is  very  instructive.  I  look  at 
him  frequently  with  wonder.  Not  older  than  I,  he  is  the  author  of 
some  of  the  best  Biblical  works  in  Germany,  and  has  a  fund  of  know- 
ledge which  few  men  attain  at  the  end  of  the  longest  life.  The  great 
superiority  of  German  learning  (and  the  superiority  is  great)  arises  1 
not  from  the  mode  of  instruction  in  the  universities,  but  from  the  ex- 
cellence of  their  primary  schools.  A  boy  is  so  well  grounded  in 
Greek  and  Latin  that  he  has  no  trouble  with  these  languages.  As 
these  are  the  great  instruments  of  learning  in  all  departments,  they 
have  nothing  to  do  but  to  apply  them. 

Your  affectionate  husband,  C.  H. 


Il8  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  [1827. 

JOURNAL. 

March  £th,  Sabbath.  The  evening  was  spent  at  Prof. 
Tholuck's,  with  Mr.  Robinson  and  Mr.  Cunningham.  Our 
conversation  was  principally  on  the  doctrines  of  religion. 
Tholuck  said  he  thought  the  doctrine  of  depravity  was  the 
most  important  doctrine  of  the  gospel,  and  that  he  did  not 
believe  a  Pelagian  could  be  a  Christian,  Justification,  he 
explains  after  the  manner  of  the  old  Lutherans,  as  founded 
on  the  imputed  righteousness  of  Christ.  He  does  not  be- 
lieve in  the  personal  efficiency  of  the  human  soul,  and, 
therefore,  thinks  that  all  acts  come  from  God ;  when  good, 
both  as  to  their  substance  and  quality ;  when  evil,  the 
quality  is  from  the  sinner  himself. 

In  prophecy  and  types  he  is  also  of  the  same  opinion, 
holding  to  the  double  sense.  He  asked  me  if  I  did  not  find 
myself  unsettled  in  reading  the  exegetical  works  of  the 
modern  German  school.  I  answered,  no,  at  which  he 
seemed  surprised,  and  asked  what  views  I  entertained  about 
prophecy.  I  told  him  I  considered  the  Prophets  under  the 
guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  that  they  often  wrote 
what  they  themselves  did  not  understand,  and  when  intend- 
ing to  describe  their  own  circumstances,  or  events  immedi- 
ately at  hand,  really  did  describe  the  circumstances  of 
Christ  and  his  church,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.  He  exclaimed,  Oh,  if 
you  are  upon  that  ground  Neology  never  can  touch  you. 

He  gave  us  a  very  interesting  account  of  the  state  of  re- 
ligion in  Berlin,  which  he  described  as  very  flourishing. 
He  mentioned  particularly  a  Prussian  Baron,  whose  emi- 
nent piety  first  brought  him  (Tholuck)  to  reflection  and 
seriousness.  The  thought  which  constantly  struck  him 
when  contemplating  the  character  of  this  good  man  was — 
Can  all  this  be  the  effect  of  natural  disposition  ?  Is  it  not 
the  result  of  divine  influence?  Neander,  he  also  repre- 
sented as  a  model  of  Christian  excellence. 

March  6th,  Tuesday.  This  morning  I  called  on  Prof. 
Tholuck,  agreeably  to  appointment,  and  walked  a  mile  or 


JET.  29.]  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  I  j  g 

two  out  of  town  with  him.  Our  conversation  was  princi- 
pally upon  biblical  and  doctrinal  subjects.  In  their  uni- 
versity studies,  he  told  me,  they  generally  commenced  by 
giving  a  course  of  Encyclopaedia^  which  pointed  out  the 
several  departments  of  Theology,  the  method  of  studying 
them,  and  the  books  of  most  importance  under  each. 
They  give  the  Einleitung  or  Introduction  to  the  Scriptures, 
which  includes  an  account  of  the  criticism,  authenticity, 
contents,  etc.,  of  the  sacred  volume.  Then  Exegesis,  and 
then  a  Philosophical  view  and  systematic  arrangement  of 
the  doctrines^ 

He  talked  a  great  deal  about  the  philosophical  opinions 
of  the  present  German  Literati.  Kant's  system  is  univer- 
sally abandoned.  Fichte,  who  followed  him,  is  also  for- 
gotten. Schelling  has  shared  the  same  fate.  The  reigning 
philosopher  of  the  day  is  Hegel.  Schleiermacher  has  a 
system  of  his  own.  The  present  systems  are  all  Pantheistic. 
Hegel  and  Schleiermacher  both  deny  the  personality  of  the 
Deity  and  the  individuality  of  the  soul  of  man.  The  uni- 
versal principle  with  them  is  God,  and,  according  to  Hegel, 
the  world  itself  is  the  Realitat  of  the  Deity,  and  all  it  con- 
tains, the  different  races  of  men,  and  the  animals  in  their 
various  orders,  are  all  modes  of  existence  of  this  one 
universal  principle.  .This,  at  least,  is  the  idea  I  got  from 
Tholuck's  description.  For  I  do  not  pretend  to  understand 
a  system  which  its  author  says  is  comprehended  only  by 
two  theologians  in  Germany ;  and  which,  as  Gesenius  very 
properly  remarked  to  Mr.  Robinson,  was  thereby  proved  to 
be  not  worth  understanding.  Even  the  Biblical  Theolo- 
gians of  Germany  are  so  led  away  by  the  speculative  spirit, 
so  characteristic  of  its  inhabitants,  that  it  seems  impossible 
they  should  be  restrained  within  the  bounds  of  sober  and 
important  truth,  except  by  the  influence  of  religion  on  their 
hearts.  Tholuck,  himself,  who  has  much  of  this  philoso- 
phizing spirit,  considers  matter  as  only  a  different  modifica- 
tion of  spirit,  the  essence  of  both  being  the  same.  I 


I2O  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  [1827. 

understood  him   to   say  that   Neander  was   of  the   same 
opinion. 

March  Jth.  This  morning,  at  9,  I  attended  Wegschei- 
der's  lecture  upon  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  then  Gese- 
nius  on  Ecclesiastical  History.  I  have  as  yet  been  by  no 
means  favorably  impressed  with  this  oral  method  of  instruc- 
tion. The  only  advantages  I  can  perceive  attending  it,  are 
that  information  is  conveyed  to  a  greater  number  than 
would  take  the  trouble  to  take  it  out  of  books,  and  that 
viva  voce  communication  is  perhaps  more  spirited  and  im- 
pressive. I  called,  with  Mr.  Robinson,  upon  Wegscheider, 
and  found  him  in  his  study  surrounded  with  books.  He  is 
rather  a  dull,  heavy  man,  in  his  appearance  and  manner  of 
lecturing.  But  he  was  very  affable  and  agreeable  in  his 
manners,  and  appears  frank  and  kind. 

March  8th.  This  morning,  at  1 1  o'clock  I  called  upon 
Prof.  Tholuck,  and  walked  with  him  until  one.  He  said  it 
was  evident  that  vital  religion  was  very  much  increasing  in 
Germany,  and  he  thought,  that  the  pantheistic  philosophy 
of  the  day  was  doing  good  inasmuch  as  it  led  men  to 
entertain  a  "  deep  religious  feeling,"  and  showed  them  the 
insufficiency  of  the  neological  systems.  Schleiermacher, 
especially,  he  thought  was  made  an  instrument  of  great 
usefulness,  partly  without  designing  it,  or  in  a  way  which 
he  did  not  contemplate.  His  authority  stands  so  high  that 
the  respect  which  he  manifests  for  the  Bible,  and  the  rever- 
ence with  which  he  speaks  of  Jesus  Christ,  has  great  influ- 
ence. He  has  thus  been  the  means  of  awakening  the 
attention  to  religion  of  many  young  men,  and  of  some  of 
great  eminence,  as  Neander,  who  after  renouncing  Judaism, 
was  for  some  time  a  disciple  of  Rousseau.  Tholuck,  him- 
self, attributes  much  of  his  religious  feeling  to  Schleier- 
macher's  influenced  About  4  o'clock  Tholuck  called  for  me 
to  walk  with  him,  and,  although  much  fatigued  by  the 
morning  excursion,  I  could  not  deny  myself  the  pleasure. 
His  conversation  was  principally  on  practical  religion. 


MT.  29.]  LIFE  IN  BERLIN.  121 

Saturday,  March  loth.  This  morning  I  had  for  the  first 
time  the  pleasure  of  hearing  Tholuck.  He  was  upon  the 
first  part  of  the  5th  chapter  of  Malachi.  It  was  pleasant 
to  hear  at  least  one  of  the  celebrated  Professors  of  the  Uni- 
versity giving  a  religious  cast  to  his  exposition  of  Scrip- 
ture. After  his  lecture,  I  walked  with  him  until  dinner 
time.  He  said  he  did  not  always  approve  of  the  manner 
of  interpretation  adopted  by  the  Tubingen  Professors,  and 
that  he  thought  that  Storr  especially  was  often  very  unnat- 
ural. In  the  afternoon  Tholuck  was  kind  enough  to  call 
and  read  with  me,  or  rather  for  me,  a  part  of  Olshausen,  on 
the  secondary  sense  of  SS.  He  professed  himself  an  ad- 
herent to  the  grammatical  historical  method  of  interpreta- 
tion, but  said  this  would  bring  out  the  secondary  sense. 

Monday,  March  I2th.  Spent  mostly  at  home  alone, 
pursuing  the  dull  task  of  learning  German.  Heard  Weg- 
scheider  in  the  morning  and  Gesenius  in  the  afternoon. 

Tuesday,  March  ijth.  In  conversation  with  my  German 
teacher,  who  is  a  pious  young  man,  I  learnt  that  the 
number  of  pious  students  here  is  not  so  great  as  I  had  been 
led  to  expect.  He  said  there  were  not  more  than  twenty 
of  the  seven  hundred,  theological  students;  a  much  larger 
number,  however,  are  more  or  less  orthodox.  At  Tubin- 
gen, he  said,  there  was  no  pious  professor  in  the  university, 
although  much  piety  in  the  town.  At  1 1  o'clock  I  walked 
with  Tholuck.  He  said  he  thought  the  number  of  pious 
students  here  was  greater  than  my  teacher  had  admitted. 
But  that  it  was  impossible  to  say.  He  was  disposed  to 
think  that  very  few  of  those  not  religious  were  orthodox — 
that  in  Germany  there  is  such  an  indefinite  variety  of 
opinion  that  men  do  not  admit  of  classification.  Many 
profess  to  be  supernaturalists,  merely  because  they  believe 
in  miracles.  He  said  the  works  in  general  belonging  to 
the  department  of  periodical  literature  were  superficial. 
Bertholdt's,  though  neological,  was  the  best,  except  a  Cath- 
olic one  published  in  Vienna.  Tholuck  spoke  in  terms  of 


122  LIFE  IN  BERLIN.  [1827. 

great  admiration  of  Martyn,  and  said  he  was  so  delighted 
with  his  memoirs  that  he  had  determined  to  translate  them, 
but  was  anticipated.  He  has  himself  long  cherished  a 
strong  desire  to  consecrate  himself  to  the  missionary  work. 
But  Providence  has  as  yet  closed  the  way.  He'  spoke  feel- 
ingly of  the  peculiar  difficulties  which  most  of  the  present 
pious  learned  men  have  to  contend  with.  Having  most  of 
them  been  previously  neologists,  they  found  their  old  scep- 
tical doubts,  particularly  with  regard  to  the  Old  Testament, 
continually  to  harass  them. 

Wednesday,  March  i^th.  I  have,  this  evening,  had  the 
pleasure  of  conversing  for  two  or  three  hours  with  Tholuck 
in  my  own  room.  Our  conversation  was  principally  on  the 
philosophical  systems  of  Germany.  He  said  that  many 
Christian  theologians  were  inclined  to  many  of  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Pantheistic  philosophers — that  they  could  not 
conceive  how  God  could  create  out  of  nothing — and  there- 
fore admit  that  the  material  universe  and  the  soul  of  man 
are  of  the  divine  essence.  But  they  differ  from  the  Panthe- 
ists in  being  persuaded  of  the  personality  of  the  Deity,  and 
the  individuality  of  the  human  soul,  believing  that  it  is  the 
highest  exercise  of  divine  power  to  confer  this  personal 
individuality  upon  his  creatures.  Schleiermacher  would 
not  admit  the  appellation  of  Pantheist,  which  he  says  is  a 
nick-name,  and  belongs  to  the  materialistic  Pantheists,  while 
he  is  himself  what  would  be  commonly  understood  by  the 
term.  Tholuck  said  that  of  English  philosophers  Reid  and 
Hume  were  most  esteemed,  Stewart  less,  and  Locke  not  at 
all.  fit  seemed  to  me  a  great  misfortune  that  philosophy  is 
mixed  up  with  religion  in  this  country/  for  it  gives  so 
abstruse  and  mystical  a  character  to  the  explanations  of  im- 
portant truths  that  there  is  little  reason  to  be  surprised  that 
the  term  Mystics  has  been  applied  to  the  advocates  of 
piety.  Thus,  for  instance,  they  make  faith  to  be  the  devel- 
opment of  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul — that  is — the  divine 
essence  everywhere  diffused  and  the  universal  agent 


MT.  29.]  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  123 

unfolding  itself  in  the  heart.  Tholuck  read  several 
passages  for  me  from  Schleiermacher's  Dogmatik,  but 
they  seemed  to  me  to  darken  counsel  by  words  without 
wisdom.  Tholuck  surprised  me  by  saying  that  since  his 
twentieth  year  he  had  seldom  been  able  to  secure  more 
than  three  or  four  hours  a  day  for  study. 

Thursday,  March  ijth.  Tholuck  called  at  eleven  for  me 
to  walk  with  him.  He  said  he  thought  the  Rabbinical  dia- 
lect more  important  for  the  illustration  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment than  any  other  whatever,  and,  therefore,  more  useful 
to  the  Biblical  student  than  either  Arabic  or  Syriac.  Arabic 
was  of  little  use  except  to  make  use  of  the  "  helps "  in 
reading  the  Old  Testament.  He  said  he  had  been  very 
much  struck  with  the  coincidence  between  the  manner  of 
expression  and  argument  in  the  Rabbinical  writers  and 
those  of  the  New  Testament. 

In  the  evening,  together  with  Mr.  Cunningham,  I  drank 
tea  with  Prof,  von  Jacob,  who  is  an  old  gentleman,  author 
of  some  works  of  distinction  on  political  economy.  His 
daughter  is  also  an  authoress,  and  remarkable  for  her 
knowledge  of  language. 

Tuesday,  March  2Oth.  Walked  with  Tholuck  at  eleven. 
We  were  led  at  first  to  talk  on  the  possibility  of  a  Christian's 
falling  from  grace,  which  led  to  the  doctrine  of  the  freedom 
of  the  will.  Tholuck  said,  he  agreed  entirely  with  the 
doctrine  of  Edwards,  on  that  subject.  He  told  me  that 
Schleiermacher,  who  belongs  to  the  Reformed  Church,  was 
strenuous  in  his  defense  of  some  of  its  peculiar  doctrines; 
maintaining  that  they  alone  were  consistent.  He  told  me 
also  that  there  was  more  vitality  among  the  Reformed  than 
among  the  Lutherans.  Basle,  Bremen,  Bonn  and — the  four 
places  in  which  religion  is  in  the  most  flourishing  state, 
were  principally  settled  by  the  Reformed.  At  Berlin,  also, 
where  there  is  so  much  religion,  the  Reformed  are  numer- 
ous. In  the  evening,  I  drank  tea  with  Robinson,  Tholuck, 
&c.  Tholuck  was  in  fine  spirits,  and  surprised  me  by  his 


124  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  [1827. 

familiar  acquaintance  with  the  poetry  and  lighter  works  of 
his  own  country.  Scarcely  a  book  was  mentioned  from 
which  he  could  not  at  once  repeat  numerous  passages. 

Thursday,  March  22d.  This  morning  I  again  had  the 
pleasure  of  walking  with  Tholuck.  He  finds  a  great  deal 
of  difficulty,  he  says,  in  reconciling  the  doctrine  of  the  final 
perdition  of  all  men  who  die  in  unbelief  to  his  feelings,  and 
seems  disposed  to  adopt  the  opinion,  that  there  will  be 
hereafter,  other  offers  of  mercy  to  the  souls  of  men.  The 
passage  in  Peter,  referring  to  Christ's  preaching  to  the 
spirits  in  prison,  he  interprets  as  teaching  a  descent  into  the 
abodes  of  departed  souls,  and  the  offer  of  salvation,  to  those 
who  had  either  not  received  or  rejected  them  when  on 
earth.  He  says,  that  some  evangelical  men,  in  Germany, 
hold  something  similar  to  the  old  doctrine  of  the  Limbus 
Patrum.  Wegscheider  maintains  strenuously,  that  Paul 
taught  the  doctrine  of  predestination  just  as  the  Calvinists 
hold  it,  and  urges  this  as  a  proof  of  the  little  dependence 
we  can  place  on  that  Apostle. 

Saturday,  March  2/f.th.  This  morning  I  took  my  last  walk 
with  Tholuck.  He  is  just  leaving  town  for  the  vacation.  He 
told  me  he  had  much  to  endure  from  the  many  unfounded  re- 
ports, which  the  enemies  of  piety  were  constantly  spreading, 
respecting  the  few  of  that  character  here.  He  is  much  wor- 
ried at  what  the  Germans  call  Kleinstadtigkeit,  i.  e.,  little- city- 
i?my  a  most  expressive  word,  which  prevails  in  Halle.  As 
all  the  other  professors  are  far  from  orthodox,  he  is  regarded 
as  a  strange  being,  and  subject  of  suspicion  and  tale-bearing. 

March  jotk.  Yesterday  at  dinner,  I  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  our  countryman,  Rev.  B.  Kurtz.  This  evening  I 
spent  in  his  company.  He  informed  me  that  in  St.  Peters- 
burg he  had  received  one  thousand  rubles  from  the 
Empress,  and  experienced  considerable  attention  from  dis- 
tinguished personages.  He  spoke  favorably  of  the  state  of 
religion  among  the  Lutherans  in  the  sea  provinces  of 
Prussia.  Among  the  Greeks,  as  far  as  he  could  judge  from 


XT.  29.]  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  125 

the  service  of  their  churches,  there  was  very  little  piety. 
The  service  was  in  Sclavonic,  which  the  people  do  not 
understand.  At  Konigsberg,  he  also  found  a  great  deal  of 
piety,  and  in  Berlin,  as  much  as  is  to  be  met  with  in  Phila- 
delphia or  New  York.  The  Royal  family  paid  him  great 
attention,  and  contributed  handsomely  to  the  funds  of  the 
Seminary  for  which  he  is  soliciting.  In  Copenhagen,  he 
was  also  received  graciously  by  the  King  and  Queen. 

April  ist,  Sabbath.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  Mr. 
Kurtz  preach  a  real  evangelical  sermon  on  Eph.  iii.  19.  May 
God  of  His  infinite  mercy  bless  brother  Kurtz  for  having 
praised  His  Son,  and  representing  love  for  Him  to  be  the 
one  thing  needful,  without  which,  with  all  eloquence  and  all 
learning,  we  should  be  only  as  a  tinkling  cymbal. 

April  jd.  Mr.  Kurtz  says  he  has  met  a  great  many 
pious  Prussian  officers.  That  in  Berlin,  in  one  company,  he 
saw  twelve  of  this  character.  That  the  aids  of  the  Crown 
Prince,  and  almost  all  the  Governors  and  Governesses,  in 
the  Royal  family,  are  of  this  character.  The  Moravians  at 
Herrnhut  retain,  he  says,  their  evangelical  character. 

Sabbath,  April  8th.  This  morning  I  attended  the  Re- 
formed Church,  and  heard  Herr  Rinecker,  who  is  considered 
the  best  preacher  in  Halle.  In  the  afternoon,  I  witnessed 
the  interesting  service,  attending  the  confirmation  of  from 
fifty  to  one  hundred  children.  They  came  to  the  church  in 
a  procession  preceded  by  the  pastor,  and  attended  with 
music.  As  soon  as  they  entered  the  building  the  organ 
commenced  playing,  and  an  appropriate  hymn  was  sung. 
The  minister  then  took  his  stand  at  the  altar,  and  the  children 
stood  up  around  him.  After  a  short  address  he  commenced 
a  catechetical  exercise,  which  continued  for  about  half  an 
hour.  Another  hymn  was  sung ;  the  organ  was  accom- 
panied by  four  trumpets.  This  is  the  first  time  I  have  heard 
this  kind  of  music  in  a  church.  The  effect  upon  my 
feelings  was  very  strong  and  very  pleasing.  The  preacher, 
Superintendant  Tiemann  then  commenced  his  sermon  from 


126  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  [1827. 

Proverbs,  "  My  son,  give  me  thy  heart."  His  discourse 
appeared  to  me  very  good,  recognizing  the  leading  doc- 
trines of  the  gospel,  and  delivered  with  a  great  deal  of 
animation.  His  audience  was  frequently  in  tears.  In  his 
prayers  for  the  dear  children,  whom  he  was  about  to  receive 
into  full  fellowship  in  the  church,  he  prayed  for  every  bless- 
ing a  Christian  heart  could  desire.  After  leaving  the  pulpit 
he  again  addressed  the  children,  who  read  aloud  the 
Apostles'  Creed,  and  audibly  before  the  congregation  pro- 
fessed their  faith.  After  this,  they  approached  the  pastor 
four  or  five  at  a  time,  and  kneeled  before  him.  He,  in  the 
name  of  the  ever  blessed  Trinity,  blessed  them,  and  recog- 
nized them  as  members  of  the  church,  taking  each  one  by 
the  hand,  and  placing  his  hand  upon  their  heads  succes- 
sively, as  he  addressed  to  them  a  short  exhortation. 

The  impression  which  this  whole  service  made  upon  my 
mind  was  very  pleasant.  And  I  could  not  help  feeling  that 
however  little  authority  there  may  be  for  confirmation,  as 
of  divine  appointment,  that  some  service  of  the  kind  might 
properly  be  introduced  into  our  churches.  It  would  have 
at  least  this  good  effect,  that  baptized  persons  would  then 
be  brought  more  under  the  discipline  of  the  church,  and 
the  nature  of  their  connection  with  it  would  be  rendered 
more  definite.  I  could  not  help  feeling  also,  from  the  impres- 
sion made  upon  the  children  and  the  audience,  that  few 
occasions  would,  humanly  speaking,  offer  better  opportuni- 
ties of  doing  good  to  the  souls  of  all  present.  [This  I  bear 
testimony  was  Dr.  Hodge's  opinion,  often  expressed  to  the  end 
of  his  life].  God  grant  that  this  little  flock  of  lambs  which 
has  been  gathered  into  the  fold  to-day  on  earth,  may  be  recog- 
nized by  the  Good  Shepherd,  as  a  part  of  that  little  flock  to 
whom  it  is  the  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  the  kingdom. 

Wednesday,  April  nth.  This  morning  I  went  with  Rob- 
inson and  Mr.  Mtiller*  to  visit  Merseburg  and  the  battle- 

*  Since  the  Rev.   George  Miiller,  of  Bristol,  England,  who  was  Mr.   Hodge's 
German  teacher  in  Halle, 


,ET.  29.]  LIFE  IN  BERLIN.  127 

field  of  Rossbach.  We  set  off  at  five  o'clock,  and  the  day 
proving  remarkably  fine,  we  had  a  very  pleasant  ride. 
Merseburg  is  a  pleasantly  situated  town  of  about  nine 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  about  half  an  hour  beyond  it  lies 
the  field  upon  which  Frederick  the  Great,  in  1757,  defeated 
the  French.  A  simple  monument  is  raised  on  a  small 
mound  in  the  middle  of  the  extensive  plain.  The  inscrip- 
tion states  that  the  monument  was  erected  by  the  3d  corps 
of  the  Prussian  army  after  the  battle  of  Leipsic  in  1813, 
the  previous  monument  having  been  removed  or  destroyed 
by  the  French.  From  the  foot  of  this  monument  we 
counted  between  forty  and  fifty  villages,  which  were  all  dis- 
tinctly visible  from  the  spot.  From  Rossbach,  we  rode 
over  the  country  to  Llitzen.  Here  we  had  the  pleasure  of 
visiting  the  simple  monument  erected  on  the  spot  where 
the  body  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  was  found,  after  the  san- 
guinary battle  of  Liitzen,  1632.  This  monument  is  nothing 
more  than  a  large  granite  stone,  on  which  the  name  of  the 
fallen  hero,  and  the  date  of  his  death*  are  cut.  Stone  seats 
are  placed  around  for  the  convenience  of  visitors.  Here 
one  of  the  greatest  generals  and  monarchs  of  his  age  fell. 
Here  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden  stood.  Here  Napoleon 
fought  and  conquered  almost  for  the  last  time.  The  great 
battle  between  the  French  and  the  Allies,  in  1813,  occurred 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  town.  But  Liitzen  itself  was 
afterwards  occupied  by  the  French,  and  the  Allies  filled  the 
surrounding  country. 

Friday,  April  ijth.  This  being  Good  Friday,  I  attended 
the  service  of  the  Lutheran  church  this  morning.  The 
Lord's  Supper  was  administered  after  the  ordinary  exercises. 
The  three  pastors  of  the  church  proceeded  to  the  altar,  on 
which  was  a  small  silver  image  of  our  blessed  Saviour,  and 
several  large  wax  candles,  very  like  the  altars  seen  in 
Catholic  chapels.  The  officiating  clergyman  read  an  ex- 
planation of  the  sacred  supper,  and  an  exhortation  to  the 
people,  and  then  turned  to  the  altar,  and  in  a  solemn  voice 


!  28  LIFE  IN  BERLIN.  [1827. 

chanted  the  consecrating  service.  The  two  other  clergymen 
first  received  the  communion  from  his  hands  kneeling; 
then  one  of  them  took  his  stand  at  one  end  of  the  altar, 
while  the  officiating  clergyman  stood  at  the  other.  One 
took  the  bread  and  the  other  the  cup.  The  people  then 
approached,  three  or  four  at  a  time,  and  kneeling  before  the 
first  suffered  him  to  place  the  consecrated  wafer  in  their 
mouths ;  they  then  rose  and  proceeding  to  the  second 
clergyman,  in  the  same  way  received  the  wine  at  his  hands. 
In  neither  case  were  they  allowed  to  touch  the  element 
with  their  hands.  I  should  have  thought  myself  in  a 
Catholic  chapel,  were  it  not  for  the  sound  of  the  German 
language  instead  of  the  Latin.  Very  few  of  the  Lutheran 
clergy  retain  their  belief  in  the  doctrine  of  consubstantia- 
tion,  and  yet  the  customs  and  ceremonies  which  arose  out 
of  it,  are  almost  all  preserved.  I  felt  like  a  stranger  here, 
and  longed  for  the  time  when  again,  in  the  simple  Scrip- 
tural manner  of  our  church,  I  could  partake  of  the  me- 
morials of  our  dying  Saviour's  love. 

Wednesday,  April  i8th.  This  day  has  been  observed  as 
the  Jubilee  of  Niemeyer,  the  Chancellor  of  the  University, 
who  has  now  completed  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  academical 
life.  We  called  with  all  the  rest  of  the  world  to  present 
our  felicitations  to  the  old  gentleman  this  morning.  lis 
rooms,  which  are  spacious,  were  crowded  with  strangers, 
and  ornamented  with  the  numerous  presents  which  had 
flowed  in  upon  him  at  this  season.  Here  we  met  among 
many  other  strangers,  Schleiermacher  and  Bishop  Eylert, 
from  Berlin,  Bishop  Westermeyer,  from  Magdeburg,  Titt- 
mann  from  Leipsic,  &c.  &c.  At  eleven  o'clock  the  com- 
pany met  in  the  Hall  of  the  University.  Professor  Schultz 
read  a  Latin  address ;  after  which,  the  Curator  of  the  Uni- 
versity, presented  Niemeyer  with  a  beautiful  porcelain  vase 
in  the  name  of  the  King.  Bishop  Eylert  made  a  long  dis- 
course in  German.  Tittmann  and  his  colleague  from  Leip- 
sic each  spoke  in  Latin.  The  pro-rector  then  exhibited 


JET.  29.]  GNADA  U  AND  MA  GDEB URG.  129 

the  marble  bust  of  Niemeyer,  which  the  University  had 
caused  to  be  made  as  an  expression  of  their  esteem.  He 
received  also  a  porcelain  vase,  presented  by  his  numerous 
pupils  of  past  days,  and  a  silver  civic  crown  from  the  city 
of  Halle,  to  which  he  was  a  great  benefactor  during  the 
last  war. 

Gnadau,  Saturday,  April  28th.  This  morning  at  eight 
o'clock  I  left  Halle  with  the  intention  of  making  a  short 
tour  before  the  lectures  commenced.  The  whole  of  this  part 
of  the  country  is  a  great  plain.  The  land  is  generally  fertile, 
and  the  villages  frequent  and  miserably  built,  and  the  people 
poorly  clad.  Gnadau  is  a  settlement  of  the  Moravians,  the 
congregation  including  only  two  hundred  members.  The 
village  is  remarkably  neat,  and  the  people  superior  in  ap- 
pearance to  those  of  the  neighborhood.  In  the  evening,  at 
seven  o'clock,  I  went  to  the  Prayer  Hall,  where  the  brethren 
assemble  for  their  evening  worship,  and  heard  only  singing. 
In  the  morning  at  half-past  eight,  I  went  again,  and  heard 
the  Liturgy  read  and  sung.  At  ten  o'clock  was  the  regular 
preaching.  The  preacher  chose  for  his  text  the  passage  of 
St.  John  which  describes  our  Saviour  as  the  Good  Shepherd. 
Like  all  the  sermons  I  have  heard  in  Germany,  this  sermon 
was  hortatory,  instead  of  doctrinal,  and  unlike  most  it  was 
pious  and  animated.  From  all  I  could  see  and  hear,  I  should 
judge  that  the  spirit  of  pure  and  simple  piety  is  preserved 
in  a  high  degree  among  these  people,  and  the  superior  com- 
fort and  intelligence  of  the  inhabitants  was  very  striking. 

Monday,  April  joth.  This  morning  early  I  rode  over  to 
Gloetke,  a  small  village  about  five  miles  distant,  and  spent 
a  very  pleasant  day  with  the  pastor,  Westermeyer.  This  is 
a  pious  and  intelligent  young  man,  son  of  the  Bishop  of 
Magdeburg.  He  was  brought  to  an  entire  change  in  his 
views  and  feelings  during  a  six  months'  residence  in  England 
and  Scotland. 

Magdeburg,  Tuesday,  May  ist.  As  this  city,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Cathedral  and  a  few  small  houses,  was 
9 


130  MAGDEBURG.  [1827. 

utterly  destroyed  by  the  Austrian  general  Tilly,  1631,  it  is 
comparatively  modern,  and  therefore  agreeable.  It  is  situated 
on  the  Elbe,  has  numerous  manufactures,  and  contains  about 
33,000  inhabitants.  The  fortifications  of  this  place  are  said 
to  be  among  the  most  formidable  in  Germany,  and  the 
garrison  at  present  between  two  and  three  thousand  men. 
In  the  evening  I  called  upon  Bishop  Westermeyer,  and  was 
very  kindly  received. 

Wednesday,  May  2d.  I  visited  this  morning  the  celebrated 
Cathedral.  The  tout-en-semble  of  this  building,  either 
externally  or  internally,  is  not  striking,  and  will  not  admit  of 
comparison  with  that  of  Rouen.  But  it  contains  many  most 
interesting  monuments  and  works  of  art.  Near  the  altar  is 
interred  the  Emperor  Otho  I.  who  died  A.  D.  973.  His 
tomb  is  now  covered  with  a  plain  marble  slab  without  an 
inscription;  the  silver  railing  by  which  it  was  surrounded 
was  taken  away  by  Tilly.  His  wife's  tomb,  an  English 
Princess,  is  striking  from  the  ancient  figures  which  are 
sculptured  upon  it  I  was  shown  the  helmet,  commander's 
staff  and  gloves  of  mail  of  Tilly,  which  were  secured  after 
his  defeat  near  Leipsic,  and  deposited  here  by  Gustavus 
Adolphus.  The  pulpit  was  a  most  beautiful  piece  of  i/th 
century  workmanship,  made  of  alabaster  and  profusely  orna- 
mented with  figures  relating  to  Scripture  history.  Among 
the  various  tombs  which  are  shown  to  the  stranger,  there 
was  none  to  me  so  striking  as  that  of  the  Archbishop 
Ernest,  erected  in  1497.  It  is  entirely  of  bronze,  and 
covered  with  figures  for  the  most  part  emblematic.  A 
figure  of  the  Archbishop  in  his  robes  lies  upon  the  top;  his 
countenance  is  remarkably  fine.  The  whole  monument, 
although  so  old,  appears  fresh  and  new.  ...  I  drank  tea 
to-day  with  Bishop  Westermeyer,  and  was  impressed  very 
much  with  the  free  and  friendly  manner  in  which  he  treated 
me.  They  all  had  so  much  to  ask  about  America  that  I 
learned  but  little  about  Germany.  Through  the  influence 
of  the  good  Bishop,  I  obtained  permission  from  the  Com- 


JET.  29-]  LEIPSIC. 

mander  to  ascend  the  tower  of  the  Cathedral,  a  thing  which 
on  military  grounds  is  permitted  to  few.  The  ascent  is  by 
240  stone  steps,  and  the  view  is  very  extensive. 

In  the  evening  I  called  on  the  pastor  Storig,  who,  I  under- 
stand, is  almost  the  only  orthodox  minister  in  Magdeburgh. 
Here  again  the  warm-hearted  kindness  of  the  Germans  was 
manifested.  The  pastor  and  his  family  were  particularly 
desirous  of  learning  the  character  of  the  Presbyterians  in 
America,  whom  they  appeared  to  regard  very  much  as  we 
do  the  Covenanters  or  the  Puritans.  He  told  me  he  agreed 
with  the  younger  Westermeyer,  who,  I  find,  is  looked  upon 
as  something  out  of  the  ordinary  course,  since  he  is  what 
we  should  call  faithful  and  pious. 

On  Thursday,  May  jd,  I  left  Magdeburg,  and  reached 
Leipsic  the  evening  of  the  next  day. 

Saturday,  May  $th.  I  walked  out  this  morning  to  see 
the  appearance  of  Leipsic  during  the  great  fair,  which 
attracts  people  from  so  many  different  and  distant  places. 
The  streets  were  thronged^with  a  very  heterogeneous  crowd, 
Greeks  and  Jews,  Hungarians,  Frenchmen,  etc.,  etc.  All 
the  streets  which  were  wide  enough  for  the  purpose,  were 
lined  with  booths  in  which  every  variety  of  article  was 
exposed  for  sale.  The  most  numerous  class  of  merchants 
appear  to  be  Jews.  Their  signs  written  in  German  and 
Hebrew  are  everywhere  to  be  seen.  They  almost  all  wear 
their  beards,  and  the  better  sort  are  clothed  in  a  silk  frock- 
coat  reaching  down  to  their  feet,  and  bound  round  their 
waist  with  a  girdle.  The  poorer  class  have  a  similar  dress 
of  cotton  and  woolen,  and  many  of  them  seem  miserably  des- 
titute. The  Greeks  were  dressed  in  a  loose  frock  of  green 
cloth  reaching  to  the  knees,  the  sleeves  large  and  open  ex- 
cept at  the  wrist.  Their  appearance  was  tasteful.  The  Hun- 
garians had  large  loose  coats  of  wool,  of  its  natural  color, 
reaching  to  the  feet.  I  spent  a  considerable  part  of  the  day  in 
the  museum,  which  contains  all  the  literary  publications  of 
this  part  of  the  country  and  some  from  France  and  England. 


132  LEIPSIC.  [1827. 

Sabbath,  May  6th.  This  morning  I  went  to  the  St. 
Thomas  Church  at  half-past  seven,  when  the  service  com- 
menced. The  church  was  crowded,  the  singing  continued 
for  nearly  an  hour,  when  the  superintendent  Tzchirner, 
ascended  the  pulpit  and  preached  a  very  interesting  sermon, 
as  far  as  I  could  understand.  The  Lord's  Supper  was  after- 
wards administered  with  more  ceremony  than  I  had  yet 
seen  it  in  a  Lutheran  Church.  The  Consecration  Service 
was  as  usual  chanted,  one  minister  standing  at  the  altar,  and 
the  other  immediately  behind  him.  Two  little  boys  clothed 
in  black  frocks  and  white  scarfs  stood  on  each  side  of  the 
altar.  I  observed  that  the  ministers  and  their  attendants 
bowed  not  only  when  the  words  "  Jesus  Christ "  occurred, 
but  when  he  repeated  the  phrases  "this  is  my  body,"  "this 
is  the  New  Testament  in  my  blood."  When  the  communi- 
cants received  the  wafer,  it  was  placed  in  their  mouths,  and 
the  little  boys  held  a  blue  napkin  spread  out  beneath  to 
prevent  the  least  particle  falling  to  the  ground.  The  same 
precaution  was  observed  when  the  wine  was  administered. 

Monday,  May  jth.  This  morning  I  called  on  Professor 
Hahn,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter.  He  is  a  man  of  about 
thirty-five,  I  should  suppose,  rather  small  and  by  no  means 
imposing  in  his  appearance.  He  received  me  with  great 
kindness,  and  offered  to  call  with  me  upon  any  of  the  other 
Professors  whom  I  wished  to  see.  We  accordingly  called 
on  Professor  Linden,  who  has  the  superintendence  of  the 
Pedagogium.  He  as  well  as  Prof.  Hahn  are  Christians,  as 
pious  men  are  emphatically  called  here.  In  the  afternoon, 
I  went  with  Messrs.  Robinson  and  Cunningham  to  the 
garden,  in  which  there  is  a  simple  monument  to  Prince 
Poniatowsky,  erected  near  the  spot  on  which  he  lost  his 
life,  in  attempting  to  cross  the  Saale. 

Tuesday,  May  8th.  This  morning  Prof.  Hahn  called, 
and  accompanied  us  to  Prof.  Tzchirner's.  This  gentleman 
is  the  continuator  of  Schrockh's  Ecclesiastical  History,  and 
author  of  the  Analecta  and  some  other  works.  He  is  now 


JET.  29.]  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  133 

engaged  in  writing  the  history  of  the  fall  of  Paganism.  He 
is  also  distinguished  as  the  great  anti-Catholic  champion. 
He  is  a  very  polite  and  agreeable  man,  considerably  ad- 
vanced in  life.  In  his  sentiments,  I  am  told,  he  agrees  more 
with  the  English  and  American  Unitarians,  than  with  the 
German  Rationalists.  I  also  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
Prof.  Winzer  and  Prof.  Beck,  who  is  quite  old,  but  very 
amiable  and  kind  in  his  manners.  Rosenmtiller  was  the 
only  other  one  of  the  Leipsic  literati  whom  I  had  the  plea- 
sure of  calling  upon.  He  is  a  tall,  great-headed  man,  has 
an  impediment  in  his  utterance,  and  does  not  impress  a 
stranger  so  agreeably  as  some  other  of  the  gentlemen 
mentioned. 

This  evening  I  returned  to  Halle. 

May  1 2th.  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  Tholuck 
several  times  since  my  return.  He  seems  much  benefited 
by  his  journey,  and  has  had,  he  says,  his  heart  warmed  in 
Berlin,  and  has  heard  many  circumstances  of  an  encourag- 
ing character,  relative  to  the  progress  of  vital  piety  in 
Germany. 

May  20th.  Having  since  this  day  week  dined  in  com- 
pany with  Tholuck  every  day,  and  expecting  to  continue 
this  agreeable  and  profitable  arrangement,  I  have  already 
increased  my  acquaintance  with  the  character  and  opinions 
of  persons  whom  I  have  no  opportunity  of  seeing  per- 
sonally, and  I  hope  to  do  so  still  more. 

Tholuck  says,  that  Professor  Hengstenberg  of  Berlin  was 
formerly  of  Bonn,  and  a  very  warm  and  decided  rationalist. 
Although  now  not  more  than  twenty- five  years  old, 
he  was  already  so  distinguished  that  professorships  in 
several  departments  were  in  his  offer,  Greek,  Oriental  Lan- 
guages, Philosophy  and  Theology.  He  determined,  how- 
ever, to  leave  Bonn,  and  left  behind  him  a  strong  and  open 
declaration  of  his  principles.  Shortly  after,  he  was  led  to 
attend  a  religious  service  among  the  Moravians.  The  dis- 
course made  such  an  impression  on  his  mind,  that  his  con- 


134  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  [1827. 

fidence  in  the  truth  of  his  own  opinions  was  very  much 
shaken.  He  betook  himself  to  the  simple  study  of  the 
Bible,  and  at  last  came  out  a  firm  and  practical  believer  in 
the  great  truths  of  the  Gospel.  He  is  now  Professor  of 
Oriental  Languages  at  Berlin,  and  exceedingly  bold.  In 
one  of  his  first  lectures  he  said :  "  It  matters  not  whether 
we  make  a  god  out  of  stone,  or  out  of  our  own  under- 
standing, it  is  still  a  false  god;  there  is  but  one  living  God, 
the  God  of  the  Bible."  This  declaration  was  received  with 
hissing  and  scraping  by  a  large  part  of  the  students,  by 
which  he  was  little  intimidated.  He  often  asserts  that  it  is 
only  the  heart  which  doubts. 

Olshausen,  the  pious  professor  in  Konigsberg,  is  also 
a  young  man  not  more  than  two  or  three  and  thirty.  He 
too  was  formerly  a  Rationalist,  but  when  his  heart  was  once 
touched  his  opinions  changed  of  course.  Tholuck  told  me 
he  used  to  think  he  was  one  of  the  last  persons  likely  to  be 
converted.  He  was  continually  exhorting  him  (Tholuck) 
to  beware  of  Pietism  and  Mysticism,  and  reproaching  him 
with  being  a  Herrnhutter.  Shortly  after  one  of  these  con- 
versations, Olshausen  thought  he  would  see  for  himself 
what  Moravianism  was,  and  so  read  the  Life  of  Zinzen- 
dorf.  On  Tholuck's  next  visit  he  was  surprised  to  see  him 
dejected  and  sad,  and  asked  him  if  he  were  not  well. 
"  Yes,"  he  answered,  "  but  my  dear  Tholuck,  I  have  been 
railing  at  you  as  a  Herrnhutter,  but  I  knew  not  what  it 
meant,  and  that  book  (Life  of  Count  Z.),  showed  that  I  did 
not  know  what  I  am  myself."  He  is  now  one  of  the  warm- 
est and  most  decided  Christians  in  Germany. 

May  26.  I  have  within  a  few  days  had  the  pleasure  of 
several  interviews  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  McCall,  who  has  been 
for  six  years  a  missionary  among  the  Jews  in  Poland.  He 
appears  to  be  a  warm  and  sincere  Christian,  entertaining 
most  of  the  opinions  relative  to  the  Jews,  which  their  pecu- 
liar friends  generally  hold  respecting  their  restoration  and 
future  exalted  state  in  the  church  on  earth,  etc.  He  says 


JET.  29.]  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  I  35 

that  the  Jews  are  very  willing  to  hear,  so  much  so  that 
there  is  no  necessity  to  seek  them ;  they  come  in  crowds  to 
the  house  in  which  they  know  the  missionary  is  to  be 
found.  They  are  exceedingly  ignorant ;  when  best  educated 
their  learning  being  confined  to  the  Talmud.  The  Scrip- 
tures have  little  authority  with  them.  They  have  a  common 
saying  which  illustrates  their  sentiments  on  this  point,  viz. : 
*'  The  Scriptures  are  water,  the  Mishna  wine,  the  Gemara 
spiced  wine."  The  Pentateuch  and  historical  books  they 
can  generally  understand,  but  the  Prophets  few  of  them  can 
translate.  They  are  complete  Pharisees  in  all  their  opinions 
and  customs,  and  are  generally  sincere  in  their  faith.  There 
is  a  class  among  them  calling  themselves  German  Jews,  who 
are  generally  infidels.  Another  sect,  which  is  of  recent 
origin,  but  which  has  taken  the  old  name  Hasidim,  pretend 
to  peculiar  sanctity.  Their  rabbis  are  infallible,  work 
miracles,  give  absolution,  etc.  The  Jews  are  miserably 
filthy  and  offensive  when  not  raised  much  above  the  ordi- 
nary level  by  wealth.  They  are,  however,  more  moral  than 
either  the  Catholics  or  Protestants  of  Poland.  Little  has 
been  effected  among  them  as  yet,  except  the  production  of 
a  general  spirit  of  inquiry,  and  the  diminution  of  their  pre- 
judice against  Christians.  Very  few  of  them  can  be  in- 
duced to  engage  in  agriculture.  They  prefer  merchandise 
in  its  various  forms. 

Among  the  Catholics,  who  are  exceedingly  degraded  and 
superstitious,  there  have  recently  been  several  conversions. 
That  of  a  young  priest  has  excited  a  great  deal  of  atten- 
tion. Mr.  McCall  speaks  of  him  as  likely  to  become  a 
second  Luther.  The  Grand  Duke  Constantine  is  very 
favorable  to  missions  and  adverse  to  the  Catholics.  Mr. 
McCall,  when  passing  through  Berlin,  was  sent  for  by  the 
Crown  Prince,*  who  was  very  inquisitive  about  the 
mission,  and  expressed  his  approbation  and  interest  in 

*  Frederick  William  IV.,  elder  brother  of  the  present  Emperor  of  Germany. 


136  LIFE  IN  HALLE.  [1827. 

its  success.  It  is  interesting  in  a  country  where  the 
King  is  head  of  church  and  state,  and  has  such  uncon- 
trolled sway,  to  know  the  character  of  those  who  are  likely 
to'  influence  the  religion  of  Germany.  As  illustrative  of 
the  character  of  the  Crown  Prince  it  is  worth  while  to  men- 
tion some  things  which  he  said  to  Mr.  McCall.  He  ex- 
pressed his  deep  regret  that  so  large  a  portion  of  the  clergy 
had  renounced  the  pure  "  Bible  faith,"  and  preached  such 
"stupid  stuff"  as  the  Rationalists  do  in  its  place.  ,He 
was  rejoiced,  he  said,  that  there  were  several  in  Berlin  who 
now  preached  the  true  doctrines.  He  spoke  of  the  state  of 
the  English  Church,  where,  he  said,  they  retained  the  doc- 
trines, but  had  not  much  of  the  living  power  of  the  gospel. 
God  grant  that  he  in  whose  hands  so  much  power  may  one 
day  be  lodged,  may  use  it  for  his  glory. 

Halle,  June  2Oth.  Tholuck  surprised  me  very  much  this 
evening  by  the  account  which  he  gave  of  the  prevalence  of 
Rationalism  in  Germany  from  1790  to  1815  or  '17.  During 
this  period,  with  the  exception  of  the  Tubingen  theolo- 
gians, there  was  scarcely  a  voice  raised  against  the  prevail- 
ing system  of  Deism.  He  had  himself  lived  to  his  fifteenth 
or  sixteenth  year  without  having  seen  any  person  who  be- 
lieved in  the  Bible !  excepting  one  boy,  in  the  school  to 
which  he  went.  In  this  school  the  Deistical  system  alone 
was  taught:  and  this  was  almost  universal.  Of  the  old 
men,  who  belonged  to  the  preceding  generation,  some  few 
remained  who  still  held  to  the  old  system,  but  in  town  and 
country,  among  professors  and  pastors,  the  Rationalistic 
opinions  were  so  dominant,  that  with  few  exceptions  no  one 
had  courage  to  support  the  contrary  doctrines.  Professor 
Harms  of  Kiel,  blessed  be  his  memory!  was  the  first  to 
break  this  dreadful  stillness.  Upon  the  occasion  of  the 
ter-centennial  celebration  of  the  Reformation  of  Luther,  he 
published  the  theses  of  that  great  man,  and  added  many  of 
his  own  against  Rationalism.  He  was  overwhelmed  with 
abuse.  No  less  than  eighty  pamphlets  of  all  kinds  in  Ger- 


,ET.  29.]  VISIT  TO  DRESDEN.  137 

man  and  Latin  were  directed  against  him.  But  from  this 
time  the  advocates  of  the  truth  began  to  multiply,  and  its 
progress  has  been  constant,  and  in  some  departments  rapid 
ever  since. 

August.  I  have  recently  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  two 
pious  preachers  from  the  neighborhood  of  Elberfeld,  Messrs. 
Sanders  and  Krummacher.  The  account  which  they  give 
of  the  state  of  religion  in  that  region  is  very  encouraging. 
In  a  small  party,  however,  the  doctrine  of  predestination 
has  been  carried  out  into  practical  antinomianism.  These 
people  feel  themselves  above  the  gospel  and  all  its  ordi- 
nances, and  when  they  condescend  to  enter  a  church  it  is 
easy  to  see  from  their  listless,  careless,  assured  manner,  that 
they  think  the  doctrines  which  they  hear  are  only  fit  for 
babes. 

Monday,  August  2*jth.  This  morning  I  left  Halle  with 
Dr.  Tholuck  and  Mr.  Ehlers  for  Dresden.  Our  ride  to 
Leipsic  was  pleasant,  and  enlivened  by  the  debates  of  these 
gentlemen  on  philosophical  points.  Tholuck  maintained 
that  what  actually  is,  is  all  that  is  possible.  That  the  world 
cannot  possibly  be  other  than  it  is.  He  bases  this  opinion 
on  the  attributes  of  God.  He  urges  the  idea  that  attributes 
and  essence  are  the  same  in  the  divine  Being.  That 
beauty,  holiness,  knowledge  are  in  God  essential,  that  is, 
that  God  is  essential  beauty,  holiness  and  knowledge,  etc., 
and  that  all  the  beauty,  holiness  and  knowledge  in  the  uni- 
verse is  not  only  derived  from  God,  but  is  the  beauty,  holi- 
ness, etc.,  of  God,  so  that  God  is  not  only  the  most  perfect 
Being,  but  is  all  that  is  good  or  beautiful  in  the  universe. 
He  makes  the  conscience  of  man  and  all  his  moral  and  re- 
ligious powers  the  essence  of  God.  For  God  cannot  be 
only  the  partaker  of  good,  but  must  be  all  that  is  good. 
In  answer  to  my  objection  that  we  cannot  conceive  of 
beauty  as  an  essence  or  seyn  (esse),  any  more  than  of  pro- 
portion as  an  essence,  Tholuck  replied,  that  proportion  was 
an  essence,  so  that  the  proportion  or  relation  of  four  to 


138  DRESDEN".  [1827. 

eight,  and  of  eight  to  sixteen  is  an  essence,  seyn.  Prox- 
imity is  also  an  essence,  a  seyn,  etc.  Tholuck  appeals 
strongly  to  Augustine  in  support  of  his  ideas  on  this  sub- 
ject, particularly  to  his  '  Confessions.'  One  very  important 
principle  of  Tholuck's  whole  system  seems  to  be  entirely 
false.  He  appears  to  make  what  the  Germans  call  Anschau- 
ung,  the  test  of  all  truth  respecting  invisible  things,  that  is, 
the  ability  of  forming  a  distinct  image  of  the  subject 
before  the  mind.  This  they  call  intuition,  and  when  they 
cannot  have  such  an  Anschauung  of  any  subject  they  can- 
not feel  its  truth.  But,  as  I  said  to  Tholuck,  it  is  utterly 
impossible  to  form  such  a  bild,  or  image  of  the  soul,  or  of 
God,  or  of  any  spiritual  subject.  But  he  maintained  that 
all  clear  ideas  of  these  subjects  assume  this  form,  and  that 
this  is  the  test  of  the  correctness  of  these  ideas. 

We  reached  Dresden  Tuesday  evening,  August  28th,  and 
put  up  at  the  Golden  Anchor  tavern.  The  next  morning 
I  visited  the  gallery  of  paintings,  which  is  the  object  of 
most  interest  among  the  curiosities  of  this  city.  This 
famous  collection,  thought  to  be  the  finest  in  modern 
Europe,  is  by  no  means  so  imposing  in  its  arrangement  as 
that  of  the  Louvre.  With  regard  to  the  pieces  themselves, 
I  am  not  able  to  give  any  judgment.  I  was  much  disap- 
pointed. Many  of  the  paintings  which  are  extolled  as 
master-pieces  produced  very  little  impression  upon  me. 
The  Night  of  Correggio  belongs  to  this  class.  I  can  conceive 
that  an  artist  can  take  pleasure  in  discovering  the  beauties 
of  the  proper  distribution  of  light,  which  proceeds  from 
the  infant  Saviour,  but  this  is  as  little  adapted  to  the  untu- 
tored eye,  as  the  intricate  harmony  of  sound  to  the  untu- 
tored ear.  The  figures  in  this  piece  have  no  individual 
beauty.  The  same  confession  I  am  obliged  to  make  with 
regard  to  most  of  the  productions  of  Rubens.  The  color- 
ing is  indeed  surprising,  but  the  effect,  for  me,  seldom, 
either  strong  or  pleasing.  The  Madonna  of  Raphael  is  an 
exception.  This  was  as  much  above,  as  the  others  were 


J&T.  29.]  DKESDEW.  139 

below  my  expectations.  The  infant  here  is  wonderful;  the 
expression  of  the  eye  belongs  to  no  human  infant,  but  we 
may  well  imagine  such  an  expression  in  the  case  of  our 
Saviour.  The  Virgin  is  the ,  ideal  of  human  purity  and 
beauty ;  what  the  human  frame  may  be  when  this  corrup- 
tion has  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  is  clothed 
with  immortality.^  The  Magdalen  of  Correggio,  also,  is  a 
beautiful  picture,  and  many  others  which  at  first  produced 
little  impression.  I  found  it  far  more  interesting,  after 
repeated  visits  to  the  gallery.  But  on  every  visit  I  was 
attracted  and  held  bound  by  Raphael's  Madonna. 

On  Thursday  morning  I  called  with  Tholuck  and  Ehlers, 
upon  the  pastor  Stephani,  a  man  of  about  forty-five,  of  very 
friendly  and  open  manners,  plain  and  blunt  in  all  he  says. 
He  is  a  warm  Lutheran,  reads  the  works  of  the  Reformer 
by  day  and  night,  and  unfortunately  insists  as  much  upon 
the  peculiar  tenets  of  his  church  as  upon  the  points  essen- 
tial to  godliness.  He  is,  however,  a  great  blessing  to  Dres- 
den, and  has  served  to  keep  alive  a  spirit  of  piety  among 
the  common  people.  He  was  educated  in  Halle  about 
twenty  years  ago,  and  related  many  circumstances  to  show 
how  utterly  to  all  appearance  religion  and  orthodoxy  had 
died  out.  No  one  ever  thought  of  preaching  on  the  leading 
truths  of  the  gospel,  and  some  went  so  far  as  to  propose 
to  introduce  a  new  Bible,  which  should  contain  more  in- 
teresting histories  than  those  relating  to  the  Jews,  and  a 
purer  system  of  morals. 

This  evening  we  drank  tea  with  Mr.  Zahn,  a  pious  young 
man  who  is  director  of  a  seminary  for  the  education  of 
country  school-masters.  At  9  o'clock  all  his  pupils  were 
collected  in  the  lecture-  room  for  prayers.  After  singing  a 
few  verses  Tholuck  read  and  expounded  the  words,  from 
our  Saviour's  last  address  to  his  disciples,  "  In  this  world 
ye  shall  have  tribulation,"  &c.  He  made  this  a  test  of 
Christian  character  in  a  very  happy  manner.  "  If,"  said  he, 
"  the  world  satisfies  us ;  if  in  the  society  and  pleasures  of 


140  THE  SAXON  SWITZERLAND.  [1827. 

the  world  we  find  no  deficiency,  nothing  that  gives  pain, 
that  leaves  our  most  urgent  wants  unsatisfied,  we  are  not 
the  disciples  of  Christ.  But  if  we  are  constantly  longing 
for  the  joys  that  flow  from  His  presence,  then  we  have  part 
in  His  promise.  "I  will  give  unto  you  eternal  life." 

Saturday,  September  ist.  We  left  Dresden  on  an  excur- 
sion of  a  few  days  in  the  interesting  country  further  up  the 
Elbe,  called  the  Saxon  Switzerland.  Mr.  Zahn  accompanied 
us  a  few  hours  distance  to  our  dining-place.  /He  and 
Tholuck,  in  a  long  argument  against  Ehlers  and  myself, 
maintained  that  every  thing  in  nature  had  Bewusstseyn, 
consciousness,  a  sense  of  life — trees,  stones,  everything  that 
exists.  The  arguments  for  this  opinion  were  mostly  drawn 
from  general  pantheistic  principles.  For  although  these 
gentlemen  abhor  Pantheism,  they  have,  as  far  as  their  phi- 
losophy is  concerned,  many  principles  in  common  with  it. 
About  10  o'clock  we  passed  the  Elbe  at  Pillnitz,  the  country 
residence  of  the  King  of  Saxony.  The  grounds  are  simple 
and  neat;  the  palace  is  simply  a  row  of  low  buildings,  occu- 
pying three  sides  of  a  hollow  square,  facing  inwards.  We 
dined  at  Lohmen,  a  village  situated  at  the  foot  of  the  first 
mountain.  After  dinner  we  rode  about  an  hour  up  the 
mountain,  and  then  commenced  our  tour  on  foot  under  the 
direction  of  a  guide.  We  descended,  by  a  flight  of  narrow 
stairs,  partly  cut  in  the  rock,  and  partly  made  of  wood,  into 
a  deep  valley,  or  rather  cleft,  which  intersects  the  mountain 
in  various  directions.  It  is  sometimes  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  wide,  and  at  others  only  a  few  feet,  the  rocks  rising 
on  either  side,  in  most  instances  perpendicularly,  two,  four, 
or  six  hundred  feet.  Huge  masses  of  rock  have  fallen 
into  this  cleft,  and  where  it  is  narrow,  have  been  stopped  in 
their  course,  and  remain  jammed  between  the  sides.  After  a 
while  we  began  to  ascend  at  an  opening  where  the  ascent  is 
gradual  and  easy.  Poor  Tholuck  began  to  walk  too  soon 
after  dinner,  and  hence  was  exceedingly  unwell  and  could 
enjoy  nothing.  The  ascent  brought  us  to  the  summit  on 


/ET.  29.]  THE  SAXON  SWITZERLAND.  141 

the  bank  of  the  Elbe ;  here  the  rocks  rise  perpendicular  to 
the  bed  of  the  river,  eight  hundred  feet  high.  From  this 
point  the  view  is  very  extensive  and  very  peculiar.  On  the 
right  you  look  over  a  large  plain  gradually  rising  toward 
the  horizon,  over  which  immense  piles  of  rock  are  scattered. 
Some  of  these,  as  the  Konigstein  and  the  Lilienstein,  are 
miles  in  circumference,  and  rise  perpendicularly  for  twelve 
hundred  feet.  On  the  left  we  look  over  a  vast  number  of 
these  rocky  prominences,  which  stand  as  the  skeletons  of 
mountains,  from  which  all  the  softer  parts  have  been  washed 
away.  The  prominence  on  which  we  stood  is  called  the 
Bastey.  A  bridge  of  wood  is  built  over  some  of  these 
caverns,  which  gave  us  access  to  part  of  the  mountain 
which  was  formerly  the  resort  of  thieves,  and  afterwards 
the  place  of  refuge  of  the  inhabitants  in  times  of  war.  Evi- 
dent indications  that  this  wild  region  was  once  inhabited  are 
still  visible — such  as  flights  of  stairs  cut  out  of  the  rocks, 
the  remains  of  walls  by  which  the  breaches  of  the  natural 
bulwarks  were  closed,  &c.,  &c. 

Tholuck,  being  too  unwell  to  proceed,  went  by  a  nearer 
way  to  the  rendezvous  of  the  carriage,  and  I  proceeded  with 
the  guide  for  an  hour  or  two  through  the  customary  path- 
way along  the  mountain.  Early  in  the  evening  we  reached 
a  bathing  establishment,  with  an  excellent  public  house, 
romantically  situated  just  without  the  small  town  of  Schan- 
dau,  on  the  banks  of  the  Elbe.  Here  we  had  a  quiet  Sab- 
bath, September  2d.  On  our  return  we  passed  through 
Pirna  and  Konigstein.  Near  the  former  place  we  visited  a 
very  extensive  hospital  and  asylum  for  insane  persons.  The 
physician  kindly  went  over  the  establishment  with  us,  and 
showed  us  the  means  of  amusement  and  cure  they  had 
devised  for  their  patients.  The  latter  are  various  bathing 
establishments,  chairs,  and  beds,  which  can  be  set  in  rapid 
rotary  motion,  the  quickness  and  duration  of  the  motion 
being  proportioned  to  the  state  of  the  patient.  Near  this  is 
Konigstein,  the  celebrated  fortification,  built  upon  the  rock 


142  DRESDEN.  [1827. 

above  mentioned.  It  has,  I  believe,  never  been  subdued  by 
force.  It  contains  a  well  said  to  be  seven  hundred  feet  deep, 
cut  through  the  rock.  We  reached  Dresden  again  on  the 
afternoon  of  Monday,  September  3d. 

September  ^.th,  Dresden.  This  morning  we  spent  about 
an  hour  with  Dr.  Neander.  He  is  rather  an  old-looking 
man  for  thirty-five,  has  much  of  the  Jewish  countenance, 
and  his  manners,  though  peculiar  and  awkward,  are  exceed- 
ingly kind.  The  poor  man  has  studied  himself  almost  to 
death.  He  is  so  weak,  and  his  nerves  so  much  shattered, 
that  he  is  not  allowed  to  walk  out  alone.  There  is  perhaps 
a  constitutional  weakness  of  nerves  about  him,  as  his  sisters 
are  very  peculiar.  The  one  who  is  traveling  with  him  came 
hurrying  home  the  other  day  in  a  great  fright,  lest  some  one 
should  murder  her  brother  in  her  absence.  Neander  is 
beyond  competition  the  first  man  in  his  department  in 
Germany,  and  is  as  much  distinguished  for  his  piety.  Yet 
his  opinions  are  peculiar  and  arbitrary.  He  believes  in 
miracles,  and  yet  gives  himself  the  greatest  trouble  to 
explain  away  the  gift  of  tongues.  I  heard  him  at  length 
endeavor  to  interpret  the  passage  in  Acts  as  a  mere  natural 
occurrence — but  very  unsatisfactorily.  He  said  the  various 
classes  there  mentioned  spoke  for  the  most  part  the  same 
language,  that  the  number  spoken  did  not  exceed  four,  and 
these  the  Apostles  might  have  learned  in  the  ordinary  way. 
The  XahsZv  fXcoacrat^  mentioned  in  Corinthians,  he  explains 
of  "  ecstatic  speaking,"  as  Plutarch  says  the  priestess  of 
Apollo  "spoke  with  tongues.  I  am  told  Neander  is  a 
Sabellian  and  Patripassian,  but  I  know  not.  It  is  pleasant 
to  see  that  talent  in  Germany,  at  least  in  the  learned  profes- 
sions, has  fair  scope.  Neander's  father  was  a  Jew,  who 
trafficked  in  old  clothes.  Twesten's  was  a  lamp-lighter. 
Tholuck's  a  silver-smith. 

I  had  the  honor  of  dining  twice  with  Twesten,  who  is  a 
hale,  healthy-looking  man.  He  belongs  to  the  orthodox 
party,  and  has  the  character  of  being  more  variously  learned 


JKT.  29.]  LEIPSIC.  1 43 

than  most  of  his  literary  brethren — not  only  in  the  various 
branches  of  Theology,  but  in  Philosophy,  and  the  natural 
sciences,  medicine,  law,  &c.,  &c.  He  seems  to  have  the 
principle  that  a  man  to  be  properly  cultivated  should  sub- 
mit his  mind  to  the  influence  of  all  kinds  of  knowledge. 
He  goes  to  the  theatre  from  a  sense  of  duty  to  cultivate  his 
taste.  He  has  published  the  first  volume  of  a  system 
of  Theology,  which,  as  far  as  its  philosophy  is  concerned, 
is  like  that  of  Schleiermacher,  from  whom,  however, 
he  of  course  differs  in  many  important  points.  He  has 
got  free  from  the  chains  of  Pantheism,  the  fragments  of 
which  hang  around  many  otherwise  orthodox  professors  of 
the  present  day.  He  makes  the  world,  however,  a  living 
being,  if  I  understand  Tholuck  correctly. 

I  had  also  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Prof.  Ritter,  of  Berlin, 
who  is  more  of  a  gentleman  than  most  of  the  German 
Doctors  in  externals.  He  has  lately  published  a  system  of 
Logic,  directed  against  the  Half-Kantians  and  Pantheists. 
What  his  own  opinions  are  I  do  not  know,  and  suspect  that 
it  is  not  easy,  from  his  books,  for  a  common  man  to  dis- 
cover. He  says  that  every  earnest  and  deep  thinker  has 
always  acknowledged  that  the  human  race  has  a  general 
personality  distinct  from  that  of  the  several  individuals,  i.  e., 
the  personalitat  der  Menschheit,  distinct  from  that  der 
Menschen. 

September  loth.  I  left  Dresden  in  the  Post  for  Leipsic, 
where  I  remained  three  or  four  days,  and  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  much  of  Prof.  Hahn,  whose  kindness  I  have  much 
reason  to  remember  with  gratitude.  I  heard  him  lecture  on 
the  1 5th  chapter  of  ist  Corinthians.  His  manner  was  feeble, 
but  what  he  said  was  clear  and  to  the  point.  Hermann  I 
heard  read  on  Hesiod.  His  lecture  was  in  Latin,  and  his 
manner  very  hesitating,  a  fault,  I  am  told,  which  he  has  as 
much  when  speaking  German  as  Latin.  I  called  also  on 
the  preacher  Wolf,  and  had  about  an  hour's  conversation 
with  him.  Dr.  Heinroth,  who  has  written  several  works  in 


144  JENA.  [1827. 

favor  of  orthodox  Christianity,  is  a  small,  active,  fami- 
liar man,  speaking  loud  and  bold  on  every  subject. 
His  views  are  his  own,  and  as  he  expresses  his  ideas 
on  Christian  doctrines  in  philosophical  language,  it  is 
not  always  easy  for  the  uninitiated  to  understand  what  he 
means. 

I  left  Leipsic  on  the  evening  of  the  1 4th,  in  order  to 
reach  Weimar  on  the  morning  of  Saturday,  the  I5th.  After 
spending  an  hour  or  two  in  walking  through  the  town,  and 
particularly  through  the  Park,  I  rode  over  to  Jena.  Jena  lies 
in  a  hollow,  surrounded  by  abrupt  and  high  hills.  On  one 
of  these  the  Prussian  army  was  encamped  when  it  was  so 
totally  defeated  by  Napoleon  in  1806.  The  pass  through 
which  he  led  his  army  and  drew  his  cannon  is  so  steep  and 
difficult,  that  an  unencumbered  man  finds  it  no  easy  task  to 
make  his  way.  In  Jena  I  heard  two  miserably  cold  anti- 
christian  sermons:  the  one  delivered  in  the  University 
Church,  was  by  a  young  man  without  a  trace  of  Christian 
character  in  his  discourse,  and  was  intended  for  the  students, 
of  whom  I  saw  only  one  present.  I  have  nowhere  else  been 
so  strongly  impressed  with  the  total  absence  of  religion. 
I  am  told  that  the  students  boast  of  the  fact  that  they  have 
nothing  of  fanaticism  among  them.  Fighting  duels  seems 
to  be  as  common  here  as  ever.  A  few  weeks  since,  a  young 
man,  the  only  son  of  a  widow,  was  killed.  I  have  been  in 
Halle  seven  months  without  hearing  a  word  said  on  the 
subject.  Yet  one  of  the  students  lately  said  that  they 
occurred  almost  every  day  or  two.  Jena,  however,  has 
always  been  particularly  famous  in  this  respect,  and  here  the 
method  of  fighting  is  more  dangerous  than  in  the  other 
universities,  as  thrusting  is  the  fashion  and  not  "  slashing." 
In  Gottingen  also,  according  to  the  statement  of  one  of  its 
students,  duelling  is  still  exceedingly  common.  The  stu- 
dents are  divided  into  innumerable  Landsmannschaften, 
which  are  not  formed  merely  for  the  different  states,  but  for 
every  neighborhood  of  the  same  state.  Those  from  the 


^T.  29.]  JENA  AND  HALLE.  145 

same  district  band  together,  and  have  to  maintain  their  owh 
honor.  If  one  be  insulted,  accidentally  touched  while 
passing  in  the  street,  or  the  like,  he  or  some  other  of  his 
company  must  fight  the  offender,  or  some  one  belonging  to 
his  clan.  And  so  it  goes  on,  often  half  a  dozen  such  affairs 
in  a  week. 

I  had  a  letter  from  Dr.  Tholuck  to  Dr.  Baumgarten  Cru- 
sius,  and  from  Gesenius  to  Dr.  Hofmann.  The  former  I 
found  buried  in  his  books,  although  it  was  afternoon.  He 
had  not  yet  made  his  toilet,  which  with  a  German  Professor, 
whose  studying  habiliments  are  rather  peculiar,  is  essential 
to  his  appearance  in  public.  This  good  and  famous  man 
was  driving  his  studies  without,  to  the  best  of  my  observa- 
tion, even  the  encumbrance  of  a  pair  of  pantaloons.  As, 
however,  he  is  one  of  the  most  learned  theologians  of  his 
day,  and  withal  received  me  so  kindly,  I  should  not  dis- 
course on  such  particulars.  He  is  now  engaged  in  printing 
three  works — the  one  is  a  Dogmengeschichte  ;  the  other 
a  Biblical  Theology ;  and  the  other  I  have  forgotten.  He 
was  kind  enough  to  introduce  me  to  Prof.  Schott,  Editor  of 
the  New  Testament,  &c.  He  is  an  old  man,  and  rather 
peculiar  in  his  manners.  With  Dr.  Hofmann  I  supped  on 
Monday  evening,  and  was  very  much  pleased  with  him  and 
his  family.  He  is  distinguished  as  an  Orientalist.  Reads 
Arabic,  Syriac,  Hebrew,  Sanskrit,  &c.,  &c.  His  Syriac 
Grammar,  which  is  just  leaving  the  press,  will  be  far  the 
most  full  and  extensive  yet  published. 

I  left  Jena  on  Tuesday,  September  i8th,  for  Halle,  where 
I  remained  until  October  loth,  engaged  principally  in 
writing.  It  was  vacation ;  my  friends  were  absent.  I  supped 
one  evening  with  Gesenius,  in  company  with  Reisig,  the 
two  Professors  Niemeyer,  Professors  Meyer,  Jacob  and 
Friedlander.  Such  loud  talking  and  laughing  would  seldom 
be  heard  among  an  equal  number  of  English  literati.  Reisig 
is  a  complete  Bursche,  loud  and  indelicate,  but  apparently 
good-natured. 
10 


146  HALLE  AND   WITTENBERG.  [1827. 

LETTER  FROM  THOLUCK  RECEIVED  BY  MR.  HODGE  WHILE 
STILL    IN    HALLE. 

RADENSLEBEN,  NEAR  RUFFIN,  Sept.  22,  1827. 

My  Dear  Beloved  Brother  in  the  Lord : — I  am  sitting  in  a  stately 
castle ;  opposite  me  are  the  dove  cotes  and  gardens,  and  the  great 
highway ;  in  the  room  near  me  my  beloved  friend,  Hengstenberg ; 
round  about  me  the  articles  for  the  Church  Journal.  The  sky  is 
cloudy,  the  air  is  heavy,  but  my  heart  is  light  and  dwells  upon  a  far 
distant  land,  and  a  beloved  brother  in  another  part  of  the  world, 
whom  God  has  given  to  me.  You,  dear  brother  !  You  have  become 
so  dear  to  me  that  I  can  scarce  express  to  you  my  love.  But  were 
our  bond  not  secure  in  God,  it  would  be  in  vain  ;  and  had  we  not 
been  directed  to  each  other,  in  the  spiritually  dead  Halle,  our  bond 
would  not  have  become  so  firm  on  God.  Therefore  I  am  sincerely 
thankful  to  gloomy  Halle 

I  reached  Berlin  about  8  o'clock  in  the  evening.  On  the  second  day 
I  met  by  appointment  Justice  Focke,  a  very  intimate  friend  of  mine, 
who  said  much  to  me  regarding  you,  and  is  very  proud  of  you.  On  the 
third  day  I  dined  with  the  Patriarch  (Baron  Kottwitz),  in  a  great  com- 
pany. O  what  vivifying  power  springs  from  such  Christian  fellowship. 

Hengstenberg  was  not  in  Berlin,  but  at  his  parents-in-law,  upon  a 
country  estate  40  miles  from  Berlin.  On  the  fourth  day  of  my  presence 
in  the  city,  a  coach  suddenly  made  its  appearance,  and  bore  me  in 
the  country  to  visit  him.  Here  I  have  been  for  eight  days.  My 
dear  friend,  how  are  you  passing  your  time  in  Halle  ?  Does  it  pass 
pleasantly  or  drag  upon  your  hands.  Pray  leave  behind  the  glbomy 
place,  and  hasten  to  friendly  Berlin. 

Now  with  sincere  love,  I  commend  you  to  God,  and  to  the  protec- 
tion of  His  grace.  Your  faithful,  A.  THOLUCK. 

JOURNAL. 

On  Wednesday  evening,  October  loth,  I  left  Halle,  after 
a  residence  of  seven  months,  probably  forever.  A  thought 
which  makes  one  sad,  however  little  interest  the  object  may 
have  in  itself,  which  is  seen  for  the  last  time.  I  reached 
Wittenberg  about  six  o'clock  the  next  morning.  I  first 
visited  the  Seminary  which  is  intended  for  the  more  practi- 
cal part  of  the  preparation  of  students  of  theology  for  their 
office.  At  present  there  are  about  twenty-five  students,  of 
whom  a  considerable  portion  are  considered  really  pious. 


MT.  29.]  •          WITTENBERG.  147 

The  old  Prof.  Schleusner,  whom  I  wished  very  much  to  see, 
was  not  in  town.  Prof.  Heubner  I  heard  lecture  on  the 
history  of  Jacob  and  Joseph.  This  exercise  was  altogether 
practical,  and  his  remarks  were  characterized  by  a  spirit  of 
genuine  and  devout  piety. 

After  the  lecture,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  attending  him,  in 
a  walk  around  the  town,  in  company  with  the  Chevalier 
Bunsen,  the  Prussian  ambassador  in  Rome,  who  also  has 
the  reputation  of  being  a  Christian.  He  is  at  least  very 
zealous  against  the  rationalists.  We  spent  the  evening  at 
Dr.  Heubner's,  the  conversation  turning  on  the  King's  new 
liturgy,  to  which  the  clergy  of  Wittenberg  are  warmly 
opposed;  more,  I  believe,  from  the  source  from  which  it 
comes,  than  from  its  contents. 

I  visited,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  the  church  in  which 
Luther  used  to  preach,  and  in  which  Luther  and  Melanch- 
thon  lie  buried.  A  simple  iron  or  bronze  plate  marks  the 
spot  where  these  great  men  are  awaiting  the  resurrection  of 
the  just.  An  original  likeness  of  each  hangs  on  the  wall 
over  their  graves.  These  likenesses,  which  are  in  them- 
selves fine  pictures,  are  said  to  be  remarkably  true.  The 
Church  is  also  ornamented  with  bronze  figures  of  the 
Electors  of  Saxony  of  that  period.  In  walking  down  the 
main  street  I  was  struck  with  the  following  inscription  on 
one  of  the  houses.  Hier  wohnte,  lehrte  und  starb  Melanch- 
thon.  "  Here  Melanchthon  lived,  taught,  and  died."  The 
house  in  which  Luther  lived  was  formerly  a -cloister,  and  is 
now  occupied  by  the  Seminary.  His  chamber,  however,  is 
left  undisturbed,  as  he  occupied  it ;  the  same  stove,  the 
same  table  of  solid  oak,  and  the  same  window  chair,  which 
three  hundred  years  ago  supported  the  cumbrous  weight  of 
the  bold  Reformer.  The  walls  are  covered  with  a  thousand 
names  of  insignificant  persons  —  distinguished  from  the 
number,  the  cipher  of  Peter  the  .Great  is  preserved  from  a 
fate,  to  which  the  others  .seem  with  little  remorse  relin- 
quished, by  being  covered  by  a  pane  of  glass. 


148  MOVES  TO  BERLIN.  •  [1827. 


BERLIN. 

On  Friday,  the  1 2th  of  October,  I  arrived  at  Berlin  and 
put  up  in  the  Stadt  Rome,  under  the  Linden.  The  first 
impression  which  Berlin  makes  on  a  stranger  is  very  impos- 
ing. The  streets  are  broad,  the  houses  large  and  well  built, 
and  the  avenue  lined  with  a  four-fold  row  of  trees  is  cer- 
tainly the  finest  street  I  have  yet  seen  in  Europe.  On 
Saturday,  the  I3th,  I  went  early  to  see  Tholuck,  who  was  on 
a  visit  to  Berlin.  I  found  him  wrapt  up  in  his  schlafrock, 
hard  at  work.  His  reception  was  extremely  affect ionate. 
We  walked  together  about  the  town  and  through  the  Thier- 
Garten,  which  is  a  great  forest  before  the  Brandenburg  gate. 
In  the  evening  he  took  me  to  the  house  of  Otto  von  Ger- 
lach.  Here  I  met  with  a  number  of  Christians ;  the  Land- 
gerichtsrath  Focke;  Kammergerichtsrath  le  Coq;  the 
Count  von  der  Reke ;  several  military  officers,  and  others. 
Tholuck  read  and  expounded  a  passage  of  Scripture ;  we 
prayed  and  sang  a  couple  of  hymns.  The  rest  of  the  eve- 
ning was  spent  in  religious  conversation.  My  heart  was 
rejoiced  at  the  prospect  of  having  such  a  place  of  religious 
communion  accessible  every  week. 

[In  order  to  introduce  to  the  reader  this  remarkable  circle  of 
Christian  men  with  which  it  was  the  happiness  of  Mr.  Hodge 
to  be  associated  during  his  residence  in  Berlin^and  with 
some  of  whom  he  corresponded  for  many  years,  I  will  give 
a  short  account  of  the  brothers  von  Gerlach,  drawn  chiefly 
from  Tholuck's  biographical  notice  of  Otto  von  Gerlach  in 
Herzog's  Encyclopaedia.  There  were  four  brothers  von 
Gerlach,  born  in  the  following  order:  William,  a  lawyer; 
Ernest  Ludwig,  statesman ;  Leopold,  a  soldier,  and  Otto,  a 
clergyman.  They  sprang  of  a  noble  family;  one  of  the  few 
which  followed  the  Brandenburg  family  when  they  went 
into  the  Reformed  Church,  the  members  of  which  had,  for 
a  hundred  years,  served  the  king  in  office.  The  friends  of 
Mr.  Hodge  were  Ludwig  and  Otto.  Of  the  latter,  Tholuck 


JET.  29.]  EX  PL  ANA  TOR  Y  NO  JES.  1 49 

says  that,  "in  1820,  after  studying  law,  he  came  to  Berlin, 
entering  a  circle  in  which  Christian  life  existed  in  freshest 
bloom.  It  was  the  beautiful  time  of  first  love,  when  a  num- 
ber of  young  men  of  rank,  principally  of  the  military  and 
legal  professions,  some  of  them  returned  from  the  wars  of 
liberty,  drew  together  in  loving  friendship  in  Christ.  Under 
the  impressions  made  on  him  in  this  beautiful  society,  his 
early  love  for  the  gospel  was  strengthened,  and  after  much 
conflict  he  gave  up  the  prospects  of  ^ambition,  and  entered 
again  the  academic  career.  In  1828  he  became  Privat  docent 
in  the  University  of  Berlin.  In  1834  he  became  pastor  of  the 
Church  of  St.  Elizabeth,  built  by  the  king,  in  the  suburbs  of 
Berlin.  Here  he  was  indefatigable  in  preaching  and  all 
kinds  of  pastoral  labors.  He  was  the  Wesley  of  Berlin. 
Translated  the  lives  of  Wesley  and  Baxter.  Founded  the 
Berlin  Foreign  Missionary  Society.  All  the  methods  of 
promoting  worship  and  religious  life,  which  have  since 
been  adopted,  found  in  this  man  a  previous  example." 
He  reached  the  very  highest  positions  possible  in  his 
profession,  Councillor  of  the  Consistory,  Court  Preacher 
and  Honorary  Professor  Ordinarius.  He  died  Oct.  24th, 
1849. 

Ludwig  von  Gerlach,  the  elder  brother,  was  born  nearly 
three  years  earlier  than  Mr.  Hodge.  He  fought  through 
the  wars  against  Napoleon,  and  afterwards  entered  the  judi- 
ciary service  of  his  country.  He  founded  the  Kreuz-Zeitung, 
the  organ  of  the  High-Church  party.  In  1865  he  became 
Privy-Councillor  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Justice  of  the 
province  of  Magdeburg. 

The  Life  of  Hengstenberg,  by  Dr.  Bachman,  frequently 
details  these  gatherings  of  devoted  Christians,  mentioning 
the  same  names  that  recur  so  frequently  in  Professor 
Hodge's  Journal — Hollweg,  Lancizolle,  the  Gerlachs,  the 
Chancellor  le  Coq,  the  adjutants  of  the  Crown  Prince  von 
Rceder,  Count  v.  d.  Groben,  von  SenfTt,  the  Ober  prasiden- 
tin  von  Schonberg  and  Caroline  Focke,  the  Theologians 


1 50  EXPLANA  TOR  Y  NO TES.  [1827. 

Neander,  Tholuck,  Strauss,  Couard,  Lisco,  and  the  preach- 
ers Ritter,  O.  von  Gerlach,  Lindl,  Gossner  and  others.  It  was 
a  wide-embracing  bond  of  friendship  in  the  Lord,  of  men 
and  women  of  the  most  different  ages,  rank  and  conditions 
in  life,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  Patriarch  Baron  von 
Kottwitz  moved  pre-eminent. — Sec.  1,193. 

Much  light  is  thrown  upon  the  society  with  which  Prof. 
Hodge  was  brought  in  contact,  by  the  description  given  in 
this  work  of  the/ great  revival  of  piety  against  Rationalism, 
which  had  several  years  before  sprung  up  in  Germany,  i.  e.t 
in  1823.  The  most  varied  elements  of  rank  and  culture,  of 
church  connection  and  of  Christian  tendency  found  them- 
selves thrown  together  in  these  awakened  circles.  But  the 
feeling  of  inmost  union  held  all  together ;  in  faith  and  love 
they  knew  they  were  one.  In  every  corner  of  Germany 
and  Switzerland,  wheresoever  a  little  believing  company 
came  together,  a  living  witness  for  evangelical  truth  arose. 
The  remarkable  move  in  the  Catholic  Church  of  South 
Germany,  emanating  from  Boos  and  Gossner,  drew  thither 
more  than  one  traveler  from  Berlin  ;  young  men  of  the 
Kottwitz  circle,  von  Lancizolle,  Hollweg  and  others,  made 
the  journey  to  Bavaria,  and  there  knit  together  the  most 
intimate  relations,  and  received  the  impulse  to  an  eternal 
progress.  It  was  thus  as  Tholuck  expresses  it;  "  that  beau- 
tiful primitive  time  of  first  love,  when  the  consciousness  of 
that  which  unites  the  Church  of  Christ  far  ^ut- weighed  the 
consciousness  of  that  which  divides  it."  Confessional  dif- 
ferences constituted  no  barrier  to  the  communion  in  love" 
and  work  for  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  in  the  joy  and  custom 
of  what  is  common,  the  idea  of  a  [union  of  believers  out  of 
all  churches  could  arise.  One  hears  with  the  same  edifica- 
tion the  reformed  Theremin  and  Couard,  with  the  Lutheran 
Janicke  and  Strauss,  the  preachers  of  the  Brother  Commu- 
nion with  the  Catholic  Lindl  and  Gossner ;  *  one  embraces 

*  Gossner  joined  the  Evangelical  Church  in  1826. 


^rr.  29.]  EXPLANA TOR Y  NO TES.  I$l 

in  the  same  love  the  believing  brethren  in  the  Catholic 
Church,  with  the  Reformed  Swiss  and  Lutheran  zealots  in 
Silesia.  Not  to  what  confession  one  and  another  belongs, 
is  the  question ;  it  is  enough  to  know  themselves  one,  and 
to  confess  faith  in  the  name  that  is  given  to  men,  one  Sal- 
vation. A  Catholic  ecclesiastic  commended  to  a  Protestant 
pastor  for  directions,  a  humble  person,  taking  it  for  granted 
that  he  was  to  receive  the  Lutheran  communion.  Many 
Catholics  were  active  members  of  the  Bible  Society. 

Full  twenty  different  devotional  hours  could  be  enumera- 
ted during  twenty  years  in  Berlin,  (p.  192)  daily  on  Sunday 
and  week-days.  Sometimes  in  many  parts  of  the  city,  and 
without  by  the  Hamburg  gate,  &c.,  at  an  appointed  evening 
hour  larger  or  smaller  circles  might  be  found  gathered 
about  their  leader.  And  it  seems  to  be  regarded  as  a 
healthful  life  that  in  none  of  these  assemblies  any  sectarian 
tendency,  a  disposition  to  degrade  the  public  worship  of 
God,  was  manifested.  Had  any  worshipper  been  disposed 
to  this,  he  was  immediately  set  right,  and  confuted  out  of 
the  word  of  God. 

At  the  same  time  the  so-called  pietism  of  the  revival 
times  is  clearly  distinguished  from  the  old  pietism,  in  that 
the  latter  set  itself  in  opposition  to  the  Church,  in  which, 
with  all  its  lifelessness,  the  foundation,  the  pure  doctrine  of 
the  word  of  God,  remained  untouched  ;  the  new  pietism 
developed  itself  in  opposition,  not  to  the  Church  itself,  but 
against  the  rationalistic  corruption  of  doctrine  in  the 
Church.  The  pietism  of  the  revival  times  had  not,  like 
the  old,  orthodoxy  as  its  opposite,  but  it  carried  orthodoxy 
in  its  bosom.  It  was  easy,  therefore,  for  it  to  proceed  by 
appointed  churchly  paths;  Only  when  the  Church  placed 
itself  in  opposition  to  the  newly  awakened  life,  did  this 
enter  upon  a  separate  existence.  Fortunately,  in  Berlin, 
the  churchly  connections  were  never  entirely  broken,  hence 
the  possibility  and  security  of  a  decided  Church  develop- 
ment later,  was  secured. 


JOURNAL  RESUMED.  [1827. 

In  1823  the  evangelical  party  constituted  a  great  people, 
increasing  from  year  to  year.  In  many  pulpits  of  Berlin,  the 
witness  for  Christ,  the  only  Saviour,  had  again  become  clear 
as  a  power  which  filled  the  deserted  churches  anew.  The- 
remin at  the  Dom,  Bishop  Anders,  of  the  Brother  Commu- 
nion, Couard  at  St.  George's,  LofHer  at  the  Gertraude 
Church,  Frederick  Strauss  in  his  double  office  of  Dom  and 
Court  preacher  and  Professor  in  the  University,  brought 
multitudes  under  the  influence  of  the  truth.  From  the 
whole  city  multitudes  came  together  who  had  an  ear  for 
the  word  of  God ;  and  many  also  who  had  hitherto  stood 
aloof,  were  aroused  to  ask  after  the  way  of  life.  Couard's 
preaching  was  particularly  crowded,  so  that  there  was 
not  standing  room  in  the  ample  church.  [Vol.  I.  pp. 
187,  &c.] 

If  any  discrepancy  between  this  account  and  that  which 
Dr.  Hodge  gives  in  his  Journal,  is  perceived  the  reader 
will  consider  (i)  the  difference  of  the  means  and  standards 
of  estimate  of  the  German  Professor  and  the  American 
stranger.  (2)  The  difference  between  the  times  described 
by  each,  i.e.,  between  1823  and  1827-8 — and  (3)  The  dif- 
ference between  Halle  and  Berlin. 

JOURNAL   RESUMED. 

On  Sunday,  the  i/J-th,  I  went  to  hear  Schleiermacher,  not 
knowing  of  any  more  evangelical  preacher  who  had  service 
in  the  morning.  The  sermon  was  peculiar.  The  words 
were  Biblical,  but  the  whole  tenor  so  general,  the  ideas  so 
vague  and  indefinite,  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  under- 
stand exactly  what  he  meant.  His  text  was,  Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  &c.  This  is  the 
first  and  great  commandment.  This,  he  remarked,  was  the 
highest  end  of  our  existence,  to  come  to  this  full  love  of  the 
Supreme  Being — that  this  end  can  be  attained  only  through 
Jesus  Christ,  whom  he  called  the  source  of  all  truth,  and  the 
truth  itself.  The  difference  between  this  law  as  presented 


/BT.  29.]  BERLIN.  153 

in  the  Old  Testament  and  as  it  stands  in  the  New,  is  this, 
that  in  the  Old  Testament  it  was  part  of  a  law,  a  coercive, 
external  command,  while  in  the  New  it  is  the  spontaneous 
result  of  a  renovated  nature.  It  is  no  longer  a  law,  but  the 
voluntary  bent  of  the  heart;  and  to  bring  about  this  sponta- 
neous tendency  of  the  soul  to  God  is  the  great  work  of 
Christ.  This  is  what  I  took  to  be  the  drift  of  his  discourse. 
In  the  afternoon  I  went  with  Tholuck  to  see  the  good  patri- 
archal Baron  Kottwitz,  who  has  been  so  long  and  actively 
engaged  in  the  service  of  the  Redeemer.  In  the  evening 
I  attended  a  religious  service  at  the  Baron's,  and  heard  a 
very  warm,  pious  sermon  from  the  Moravian  Bishop  An- 
ders, who  is  to  sail  for  America  in  a  few  days.  Here  I 
met  a  large  circle  of  religious  friends,  partly  the  same  I  had 
met  the  evening  before.  Among  others  a  very  interesting 
man,  Prof.  Hollweg,  the  present  Rector  of  the  University. 

Saturday  evening,  October  2Oth,  I  attended  the  same 
meeting  that  I  did  a  week  ago.  Tholuck  had  left  town  a 
day  or  two  before  for  Halle.  The  services  were  conducted 
by  a  young  candidate  of  Theology. 

On  Sunday  I  heard  Marheineke,  a  warm  advocate  of 
Hegel's  philosophy.  His  sermon  was  dry  and  general.  In 
the  afternoon,  in  the  same  Church,  I  heard  an  evangelical 
discourse  from  the  junior  Pastor,  delivered  with  a  good  deal 
of  animation  and  feeling. 

On  the  23d  Neander  began  his  lectures  to  a  crowded 
audience,  on  the  Epistles  to. the  Corinthians.*  His  manner 
is  clear  and  simple,  and  the  wonderful  compass  of  his  his- 
torical knowledge  enables  him  to  bring  many  very  interest- 
ing and  striking  illustrations  of  the  passages  he  wishes  to 
explain. 

December  i6th.  Since  my  last  date  I  have  attended 
regularly  the  lectures  of  Neander,  and  part  of  the  time  those 


*Full  MSS.  report  of  these  lectures,  fully  written  out  by  Dr.  Hodge,  are  in 
existence. 


BERLIN.  [1827. 

of  Hengstenberg*  and  Bockh.  Mr.  Monod,  of  Paris,  came 
early  last  month  to  reside  in  the  same  house  with  me,  which 
I  have  found  very  agreeable.  Some  time  since  he  gave  me 
a  verjr  interesting  account  of  the  religious  exercises  of  the 
daughter  of  Baron  Cuvier  on  her  death -bed.  She  had  been 

*  EXTRACT   FROM   THE   LIFE   OF    HENGSTENBERG,    BY    DR.    I.    BACH- 
MAN. — GUTERSLOH,    1876-1879. —  Vol.  II.  p.  JO.  (fSfp.) 

Particularly  pleasant  to  Hengstenberg  was  his  acquaintance  with 
Professor  Hodge,  of  Princeton,  in  America,  who,  after  he  had  spent 
the  summer  of  1827  at  Halle,  in  intimate  association  with  Tholuck, 
came,  in  the  winter  of  the  same  year,  to  Berlin,  and  here,  as  also 
Monod,  industriously  attended  upon  Hengstenberg  in  his  lectures 
and  at  his  house.  Even  at  their  first  meeting  he  had  much  pleased 
Hengstenberg,  particularly  because  of  his  "  simplicity,  modesty  and 
sincerity,"  and  at  the  end  of  the  Semester,  April  27,  1828,  he  thus 
expresses  himself:  "I  was,  in  those  days,  much  with  Hodge, 
whose  departure  grieves  me  much,  and  to-day  I  took  a  long  walk 
with  him.  He  told  me  mucji  that  was  delightful  of  America,  of 
the  great  Christian  earnestness  which  prevails  there,  the  great  mo- 
deration in  conduct,  the  consistency  in  denying  the  world ;  and  he 
himself  is  the  best  evidence  of  the  truth  of  what  he  says."  But  in 
the  following  letter  he  speaks  of  both  these  foreign  friends  :  "  I  have 
now,  for  the  first  time,  heard  much  of  the  beautiful  activity  which  the 
French  preacher,  Monod,  has  exercised  here.  For  instance  :  Hodge 
and  Monod  sit  together  at  the  lecture  ;  a  student  looks  into  Hodge's 
note-book,  which  is  written  in  English,  and  asks  him  whether  he  is 
an  Englishman.  No,  says  Hodge,  an  American.  That  caused  the 
student,  who  supposed  that  all  Americans  must  be  copper-colored, 
such  astonishment,  that  he  uttered  an  oath.  Monod  reproves  him 
with  earnest  words  for  the  misuse  of  the  name  of  God.  The  student 
receives  the  reproof  thankfully,  Monod  goes  home  with  him  after 
lecture,  and  talks  with  him  of  salvation  in  Christ.  He  finds  a  recep- 
tive heart,  and  the  acquaintance  is  continued  until  he  came  to  full 
decision. — Monod  is  at  table  with  Ancillon,  and  hears  that  a  little 
French  physician,  a  Catholic,  is  studying  here,  who  has  an  earnest 
disposition.  This  is  motive  enough  for  him  to  visit  him.  He  finds 
in  him  absolute  ignorance  of  the  doctrine  of  salvation,  but  a  very 
receptive  spirit,  and  it- was  not  long  before  he  was  unitecf  with  him  in 
the  Lord.  Yesterday  he  was  with  Hodge.  Such  activity  cannot  fail 
to  give  offence.  There  are  about  Hodge  and  Monod  the  most  won- 
derful and  wildest  stories  in  circulation." 


;ET.  29.]  BERLIN. 

some  years  pious,  a  state  to  which  she  was  suddenly 
brought  after  a  long  season  of  thoughtfulness  ;  awaking,  as 
one  of  her  friends  expressed  it,  one  morning,  without  well 
knowing  how  or  why,  in  peace  with  God.  She  was  on  the 
eve  of  being  married  when  taken  ill.  As  she  approached 
the  hour  of  her  dissolution  her  faith  became  more  and  more 
triumphant,  so  that  she  was  the  astonishment  and  admira- 
tion of  all  who  saw  or  heard  her.  Her  physicians,  ignorant 
of  the  gospel  and  of  its  effects,  looked  on  in  silent  wonder. 
Her  poor  father,  whose  name  is  famed  through  the  civilized 
world,  was  often  seen  kneeling  for  a  half  an  hour  together 
in  prayer,  by  her  bed-side.  God  grant  that  he  and  others 
by  this  event  may  be  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

The  death  of  the  Baron  de  Stael,  who  was  one  of  the 
leading  men  among  the  pious  Protestants  of  France,  is  an 
event,  humanly  speaking,  to  be  deeply  regretted.  His  last 
hours  also  were  such  as  to  evince  the  power  of  the  gospel, 
and  to  leave  the  most  pleasant  conviction  on  the  minds  of 
his  surviving  friends,  that  he  had  entered  into  his  rest. 

I  have  heard  several  evangelical  preachers  since  coming 
to  Berlin,  particularly  Strauss  and  Lisco.  The  former  is  court 
preacher,  and  much  of  an  orator ;  the  latter  is  remarkably 
simple  and  faithful. 

The  French  Protestant  Church  here,  once  so  flourishing, 
is  now  in  a  very  low  state.  There  are  nominally  5,000  per- 
sons belonging  to  their  several  congregations,  and  they  have 
funds  to  the  amount  of  $500,000,  but  the  congregation  on  a 
Sabbath  does  not  generally  exceed  twenty  or  thirty  persons. 

I  drank  tea,  the  other  evening,  with  the  Lieutenant  Senffi. 
Prof.  Hollweg,  the  Rector  of  the  University,  who  is  a  very 
interesting  man,  apparently  about  thirty-five  years  old,  gave 
us  an  account  of  the  recent  revival  of  religion  in  Pomerania. 
A  young  officer  of  Hussars,  who  was  for  some  time  in  ser- 
vice in  Berlin,  was  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth. 
He  resigned  his  commission  in  the  army  and  retired  to  his 


156  BERLIN.  [1827. 

estate  in  Pomerania.  Here  he  found  the  clergy  and  people 
alike  sunk  in  the  deepest  indifference  to  vital  religion.  He 
began  his  work  in  his  own  family.  God  blessed  his  efforts. 
His  brothers,  who  had  hitherto  lived  at  variance,  were  re- 
conciled to  each  other,  in  being  reconciled  to  God.  His 
father  also  was  converted.  He  and  his  brothers  now  began 
to  assemble  the  peasants  on  their  estates  for  religious  in- 
struction and  worship.  The  clergy,  of  course,  opposed 
them  violently,  and  appealed  to  the  Government.  But  the 
word  of  God  produced  a  most  powerful  effect.  Multitudes 
were  awakened.  In  one  house  belonging  to  these  gentle- 
men 600  persons,  regarded  as  truly  pious,  are  in  the  habit 
of  meeting  to  worship  God.  The  Government  issued  an 
order  to  the  military  to  disperse  all  such  assemblies.  But 
the  colonel  refused,  and  appealed  to  the  military  commander 
of  the  Province,  the  Crown  Prince,  who  forbade  any  such 
step  being  taken.  A  commission  was  now  appointed  to 
examine  the  nature  of  this  religious  excitement,  all  the 
members  of  which,  with  the  exception  of  Prof.  Heubner  of 
Wittenberg,  were  Rationalists.  Their  report  was  unfavor- 
able. But  Heubner  made  such  a  representation  to  the  king 
that  all  persecution  from  the  side  of  those  in  authority  has 
been  prevented.  This  is  not  the  first  instance  I  have  been 
informed  of,  in  which  the  king  and  members  of  his  family 
have  shielded  true  Christians  from  the  oppressions  of  the 
civil  and  ecclesiastical  authorities.  Unfortunately  the  writ- 
ings of  two  famous  mystical  writers,  Gichtel  and  Jacob 
Bcehme,  fell  into  the  hands  of  two  of  these  young  noble- 
men, and  gave  them  a  complete  mystical  cast.  They  have 
ceased  all  their  efforts  to  do  good,  contemn  all  their  former 
active  course,  and  place  all  religion  in  mystical  union  with 
God,  and  private  contemplation. 

This  morning  I  attended  worship  at  the  Duke  of  Cum- 
berland's. His  Chaplain  appears  to  be  an  amiable  young 
man  of  the  High  Church  orthodox  order,  but  a  very  cold, 
uninteresting  preacher. 


^T.  29.]  BERLIN.  157 

December  2^.th.  This  morning  I  went  with  Justice  Focke 
to  the  Erziehungshaus.  It  contains  about  fifty  boys,  from 
seven  to  fourteen  years  of  age,  all  of  whom  have  been 
already  convicted  of-  some  crime.  They  are  placed  here 
for  reformation  and  education.  The  institution  has  been  in 
operation  about  three  years,  in  which  time  thirty  pupils 
have  been  regularly  dismissed,  of  twenty-seven  of  whom  the 
directors  have  the  most  favorable  accounts.  After  the 
children  had  sung  a  hymn  they  were  examined  by  the 
teacher  respecting  the  object  and  the  observance  of  Christ- 
mas, and  then  more  generally  on  the  history  of  our  Saviour, 
giving  all  the  leading  prophecies  of  Him  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  then  showing  their  fulfilment  in  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth. Since  I  have  been  in  Europe  I  have  witnessed  no 
scene  with  such  pure  and  decided  pleasure.  On  the  23d  I 
attended,  for  the  first  time,  the  Lord's  Supper  in  the  Lu- 
theran Church.  It  was  administered  by  the  Pastor,  Lisco, 
at  7  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  communicants  proceeded 
into  the  confessional,  where,  after  a  very  feeling  address,  the 
Pastor  repeated  a  general  confession  of  sins,  and  called  upon 
those  present  to  say  whether  they  confessed  themselves 
sinners  in  the  sight  of  God,  trusted  in  Jesus  Christ  for  par- 
don, and  had  the  purpose  of  leading  a  holy  life.  On  re- 
ceiving an  affirmative  answer,  he  pronounced  the  usual 
form  of  absolution.  We  then  returned  into  the  Church, 
and  the  sacrament  was  administered  in  the  usual  way.  I 
have  recently  been  more  than  ever,  I  think,  affected  by 
the  sense  of  the  indescribable  excellence  of  our  adorable 
Saviour.  His  character  has  appeared  in  a  purity  and 
beauty  which  my  blind  eyes  have  been  long  in  discovering. 
O  that  I  could  see  more  of  this  loveliness  every  day,  and  be 
more  transformed  into  his  image. 

December  2jth.  I  took  tea  this  afternoon  with  Lieutenant 
von  Senrft.  He  gave  us  a  very  interesting  account  of  a 
revival  of  religion  in  a  village  in  Silesia.  A  young  man,  a 
miller,  came  from  that  village  to  Berlin  for  employment,  and 


1 58  BERLIN.  [1827. 

was  providentially  directed  to  a  pious  man,  in  whose  family 
he  lived  some  time.  On  his  return  he  related  to  his  father 
that  the  man  with  whom  he  had  lived  used  to  read  and 
pray  in  his  family.  The  father  immediately  declared  his 
purpose  to  do  the  same.  The  neighbors  came  in  from  time 
to  time  to  hear  the  Scriptures.  Some  mocked  and  others 
prayed.  The  result,  as  Lieut  von  SenfTt  witnessed,  was 
about  thirty  persons,  of  all  ages,  in  this  village  were  con- 
verted to  the  Lord,  and  were  living  in  the  faith  and  love  of 
the  gospel.  From  this  village  the  fire  spread  to  others. 

In  the  evening  all  our  usual  circle  of  friends  assembled  at 
Justice  Focke's  to  meet  Tholuck,  who  had  just  arrived.  It 
was  a  great  pleasure  to  meet  the  dear  man  once  more  after 
so  long  a  separation.  The  evening  was  spent  chiefly  in  reli- 
gious conversation.  Returning  home,  I  walked  with  Ludwig 
Von  Gerlach,  a  man  who  has  excited  more  love  and  respect 
in  me  than  almost  any  other  I  have  seen  here.  He  took 
this  opportunity  of  speaking  to  me  very  seriously  respecting 
my  political  principles,  not  so  much  in  their  political  as 
their  Christian  aspect.  I  was  surprised  to  find  how  much 
that  was  unchristian  mingled  in  all  my  feelings  on  this  sub- 
ject. With  this  dear  man  I  cannot  agree  in  his  opinions, 
yet  I  felt  that  he  was  much  more  a  free-man  in  his  heart 
(with  all  his  strong  ideas  of  the  divine  right  of  kings)  than  I. 

This  night  thirty  years  ago  I  was  born.  Thirty  years  of 
love  and  mercy.  Thirty  years  of  sin.  Thirty  years  and 
nothing  done.  Oh  my  God,  from  my  soul  I  pray  thee, 
grant  me  thy  Holy  Spirit  that  if  permitted  yet  longer  to 
live,  it  may  be  to  more  purpose, — that  my  time  may  be 
better  improved  in  working  out  my  own  salvation  and  the 
salvation  of  my  fellow-men.  Bless,  O  God,  my  dear,  pre- 
cious mother,  who,  thirty  years  ago,  first  rejoiced  over  me. 
That  thou  hast  so  long  spared  her  to  me  I  thank  and  bless 
Thee.  Still  spare  her,  oh,  Lord,  and  grant  that  every  suc- 
ceeding day  she  maybe  more  and  more  filled  with  thy  Holy 
Spirit,  and  more  richly  crowned  with  thy  tender  mercies. 


JET.  30.]  BERLIN.  159 

December  28th.  To-day  I  dined  with  Tholuck  at  Justice 
Focke's.  They  both  made  me  a  present  of  a  devotional 
book  on  the  occasion  of  my  birth -day.  The  Lord  bless 
these  dear  friends  for  being  the  means  of  quickening  me  in 
the  life  of  godliness.  The  love  of  the  Saviour  is  of  all 
bonds  the  purest  and  the  strongest.  Tholuck  drank  tea 
with  me  and  Mr.  Monod.  In  answer  to  a  question  of  the 
latter,  he  spoke  very  much  in  favor  of  always  reading  with 
the  pen  in  hand.  He  said  that  for  the  period  of  two 
months  in  the  year  1820,  he  recorded  every  important  idea 
which  occurred  to  his  own  mind — everything  interesting  he 
heard  in  conversation,  or  in  reading.  The  records  of  these 
two  months  he  finds  still  valuable. 

EXTRACTS   FROM   LETTERS   OF   DRS.  ALEXANDER  AND  MIL- 
LER TO  MR.  HODGE  WHILE  STUDYING  IN  GERMANY. 

Their  affection  and  care  for  him  is  rendered  very  evident 
by  their  long  and  frequent  letters ;  and  their  prayerful  anx- 
iety for  the  preservation  of  his  personal  orthodoxy  and  spi- 
rituality under  the  special  exposures  of  his  life  in  Germany 
is  interesting,  especially  in  view  of  the  fact  which  his  after- 
life rendered  so  conspicuous,  that  their  prayers  in  this  be- 
half were  fully  answered. 

Dr.  Miller  writes,  July  2 1st,  1827: 

"You  have  no  doubt  been  informed  that  we  are  going  on  in  Prince- 
ton, as  to  the  Seminary,  very  much  as  heretofore ;  but  with  respect  to 
the  College  and  the  congregation  by  no  means  favorably.  The  num- 
ber of  students  in  the  College  is  about  eighty,  and  when  the  present 
Senior  Class  shall  leave  us,  the  number,  I  think,  will  fall  below 
fifty.  Nor  do  I  perceive  any  prospect  of  a  better  state  of  things. 
On  the  contrary,  I  am  afraid  the  Institution  has  not  reached  the  low- 
est point  of  depression.  The  multiplication  of  Colleges  all  around 
us ;  the  zeal,  enterprise,  and  ostentatious  publications  of  their  officers, 
and  the  incessant  importunity  of  their  begging  for  funds,  seem  to  be 
gradually  taking  away  from  us  all  our  human  resources  and  hopes. 
Some  of  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  however,  are  still 
sanguine  that  the  College  will  retrieve  its  affairs  before  long 


I  6O  LETTERS FROM DRS.  ALEXANDER  AND  MILLER.  [1827. 

"We  all  long  to  see  you,  and  shall  be  glad  of  your  return  at  the 
earliest  possible  hour  that  your  plans  will  admit.  I  do  not  believe, 
my  dear  colleague,  that  you  appreciate  as  you  ought  your  importance 
and  acceptance  in  our  Institution.  I  know  that  your  mind  was  often 
much  oppressed  by  a  sense  of  your  own  want  of  adequate  qualifica- 
tion, and  I  was  willing  and  even  desirous  that  you  should  visit  Europe 
if  it  were  for  nothing  else  than  to  get  cured  of  this  inordinate  and 
morbid  impression.  But  pray  come  back  as  soon  as  you  can  con- 
sistently with  the  substantial  execution  of  your  main  purpose.  We 
greatly  desire  and  need  your  presence." 

Again  Dr.  Miller  writes,  Jan.  29,  1828: 

"You  will  probably  learn  by  letters  which  will  have  reached  you 
before  this,  that  the  winter  session  in  our  Seminary  opened  with  a 
larger  accession  than  we  expected.  We  have  matriculated  thirty- 
eight  new  students.  Four  more  have  returned  whom  we  expected 
never  to  have  seen  again,  and  who  had  been  absent  for  some  time. 
So  that  our  whole  accession  may  be  estimated  at  forty-two,  which 
makes  our  whole  number  at  present  one  hundred  and  nine — some- 
thing like  fifteen  more  than  we  had  the  previous  session. 

"  Our  College  goes  on  feebly.  The  present  number  of  the  students 
is  about  sixty-five  or  sixty-six,  and  rather  on  the  decline  than  on  the 
increase.  I  am  afraid  it  will  be  reduced  to  extremity  before  long,  and 
that  some  crisis  in  its  affairs  is  not  very  distant.  What  that  may  be, 
whether  for  the  better  or  the  worse,  I  can  scarcely  conjecture." 

Dr.  Alexander  wrote : 

"  PRINCETON,  March  24th,  1827. 

"  My  Dear  Sir  : —  *  *  *  I  hope  while  you  are  separated  from 
your  earthly  friends,  you  will  take  care  to  keep  the  communication 
with  heaven  open  !  Remember  that  you  breathe  a  poisoned  atmos- 
phere. If  you  lose  the  lively  and  deep  impression  of  divine  truth — 
if  you  fall  into  skepticism  or  even  into  coldness,  you  will  lose  more 
than  you  gain  from  all  the  German  professors  and  libraries.  May 
the  Lord  preserve  you  from  error  and  from  all  evil.  You  may  depend 
upon  any  aid  which  my  feeble  prayers  can  afford.  Write  as  often  as 
you  can.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  troubling  me.  Affectionately,  yours." 

And  again,  Dr.  Alexander  writes: 

"  PRINCETON,  July  27,  1827. 

"  *  *  I  suppose  that  before  I  write  again  you  will  have  left  Halle, 
but  of  this  you  must  give  me  early  notice.  *  *  *  The  air  which  you 
breathe  in  Germany  will  either  have  a  deleterious  effect  on  your 
moral  constitution,  or  else  by  the  strength  of  faith  required  to  resist  its 


^rr.  30.]  LETTERS  FROM  DRS.  ALEXANDER  ANDMILLER.\§1 

effects  your  spiritual  health  will  be  confirmed.  I  pray  God  to  keep 
you  from  the  poison  of  Neology !  [j  wish  you  to  come  home  en- 
riched with  Biblical  learning,  but  abhorring  German  philosophy  and 
theology  ."j  I  have  been  paying  some  attention  to  Kant's  philosophy, 
but  it  confounds  and  astonishes  me." 

Again  Dr.  Alexander  writes  : 

"PRINCETON,  Aug.  16,  1827. 

"  I  feel  anxious  to  hear  from  you,  to  know  how  you  are,  and  what  pro- 
gress you  make  in  the  literature  of  Germany.  You  must  come  home 
loaded  with  riches.  Much  will  be  expected  of  you.  But  I  know  how 
little  can  be  acquired  by  man  in  the  course  of  a  whole  life-time — and 
when  I  think  that  you  have  the  disadvantage  of  having  the  language 
to  acquire  and  the  multiplicity  of  objects  to  which  your  attention 
must  be  turned,  I  confess  that  my  hope  of  any  great  success  is  not 
sanguine.  JBut  it  will  be  worth  while  to  have  gone  to  Germany  to 
know  that  there  is  but  little  worth  going  for.  It  will  at  any  rate 
place  you  on  a  level  with  the  other  traveled  literati  of  this  country. 
But  whatever  you  may  gain  of  literature  and  knowledge  of  the  world, 
J  hope  and  pray  that  you  may  not  lose  any  thing  of  the  love  of  the 
truth  and  spirituality  of  mind.  On  many  accounts  we  miss  you  very 
much.  .  .  .  For  many  weeks  Dr.  Miller  was  sick,  and  then  the  whole 
charge  of  the  Seminary  was  on  me.  I  wish  now  to  begin  in  good 
earnest  to  prepare  for  another  world.  I  think  before  very  many  years 
you  will  be  senior  Professor  in  this  Institution,  and  I  am  afraid  you 
will  see  trouble.  But  siifficient  to  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof.  Let  to- 
morrow take  care  of  itself.  I  remain  affectionately  yours, 

"A.  ALEXANDER." 

On  October  30,  1827,  Dr.  Alexander  writes: 
"  I  rejoice  to  learn  that  you  live  in  an  infected  atmosphere,  without 
being  yourself  infected.     May  God  preserve  you." 

Again  Dr.  Alexander  writes  : 

"PRINCETON,  May  14,  1828. 

"  I  mentioned  to  you  that  Dr.  Henry  intended  his  library  for  our 
Seminary.  But  the  entire  matter  became  subject  to  the  disposition 
of  his  father,  and  under  the  influence  of  certain  persons  he  has  been 
induced  to  give  another  direction  to  the  bequest.  At  least  there  re- 
mains no  doubt  but  the  books  will  be  transferred  to  the  Allegheny 
Seminary.  The  matter  was  laid  by  him  before  the  Directors  in  a  let- 
ter, but  they  referred  the  whole  question  to  him  again,  to  dispose  of 
as  he  thought  best.  The  idea  which  the  old  gentleman  seems  to 
entertain  is  that  we  have  books  enough,  and  that  his  son's  library  is  not 
11 


1 62  JOURNAL  IN  BERLIN.  [1827. 

needed  here.  Inter  nos  this  new  Seminary  will  affect  us  here  more 
than  all  the  rest  put  together.  It  is  received  by  many  as  the  last 
stronghold  of  orthodoxy,  and  the  most  secure  deposit  for  funds  in- 
tended to  support  the  truth ;  and  at  this  time  I  have  little  doubt  that 
Dr.  Green  and  others  of  our  staunch  friends  feel  a  deeper  interest  in 
that  Institution  than  in  this.  These  are  merely  my  own  conjectures. 
After  all,  we  shall  be  forced  to  look  to  New  England  for  students. 

"  Your  little  family  we  see  very  often,  and  they  are  as  well  in  health 
as  they  can  be.  April  was  a  month  of  storms,  and  Mrs.  Hodge  ex- 
perienced some  inconvenience  from  coming  so  early,  but  she  seems 
to  bear  every  thing  patiently,  and  is  cheerful. 

"Make  haste  and  come  home.  There  will  be  much  for  you  to  do. 
The  two  crazy  old  men  that  are  here  need  some  one  who  has  vigor 
of  nerves  to  put  his  shoulder  under  the  burden.  In  truth,  however, 
we  do  not  expect  your  aid  until  the  fall,  so  make  the  best  of  your  vi- 
sit to  Britain.  You  were  very  specially  remembered  in  the  public 

prayers  offered  up  here  during  the  late  meeting 

"  I  remain  affectionately  yours,  A.  ALEXANDER." 

JOURNAL   RESUMED. 

[From  this  time  Mr.  Hodge,  having  obtained  a  ticket 
from  Baron  Humboldt  to  attend  his  lectures  on  physical 
science,  regularly  kept  full  notes  of  those  lectures  as  long 
as  he  continued  in  Berlin.] 

December  29.  This  evening  I  heard  Tholuck  lecture  at 
Otto  Von  Gerlach's.  This  was  the  most  Christian,  heartfelt 
exhortation  I  have  heard  for  a  long  time.  He  spoke  prin- 
cipally from  the  words,  "  Quench  not  the  Spirit." 

Dec.  30,  Sunday.  This  morning  heard  Strauss  preach  a 
New  Year's  sermon.  As  usual,  it  was  evangelical,  but  his 
manner  is  too  violent.  Lieut.  Senfft  walked  home  with 
me.  He  is  one  of  the 'most  brotherly  Christians  I  have 
seen.  Prince  William,  the  king's  second  son,  [the  present 
Emperor]  with  an  income  of  36,000  thalers,  which  is  very 
small  for  his  expenses,  gives  6,000  to  the  poor.  He  is 
remarkably  correct  in  his  conduct.  He  wished  very  much 
some  years  ago  to  marry  a  young  princess  to  whom  his 
father  objected  as  not  vornehm  enough  for  a  king's  son. 
The  matter  was  committed  to  the  faculties  of  law,  etc.,  in 


JET.  30.]  BERLIN.  1 63 

the  universities,  but  the  king  at  last  decided  positively  in 
the  negative,  and  poor  Prince  William  had  to  give  up  the 
lady.  This  is  hard.  Berlin  deserves  the  name  which 
French  Christians  have  given  it,  viz. :  La  Ville  de  St.  Jean. 
Of  the  propriety  of  the  name  I  had  a  proof  this  evening  at 
the  Lady  Schonberg's,  in  the  affectionate  manner  in  which 
the  Christians  here  act  towards  each  other,  and  towards 
strangers  whom  they  regard  as  such.  The  two  adjutants 
of  the  crown  prince  and  their  wives  were  there.  Major 
von  Roder  (one  of  these  gentlemen)  is  fondling  even  in  his 
manners.  "  Kiss  me,"  he  said  to  Count  Graben,  his  brother 
officer,  who  was  passing  him.  Which  request  was  com- 
plied with  without  hesitation  and  without  remark.  There  is 
something  delightful  in  the  exhibition  of  the  gospel  in 
these  military  men ;  such  a  warmth  and  openness  of  feel- 
ing; such  an  entire  absence  of  stiffness  or  presumption. 
The  whole  company  seemed  as  if  they  were  of  one  heart. 
The  Graf  Schepin  was  another  of  these  Christian  officers. 
Gossner  lectured  in  his  usual  extempore  manner  on  the 
1 3th  chapter  of  Mark.  Speaking  of  Christ's  coming,  he 
said,  "  Are  you  so  ready  that  you  could  see  the  world  de- 
stroyed as  calmly  as  a  child  looks  at  his  falling  house  of 
cards  ?  "  The  peculiar  prominence  of  the  Saviour,  common 
to  the  preaching  and  prayers  of  the  Germans,  is  very 
marked  in  the  case  of  Gossner.  I  have  heard  him  pray 
several  times  exclusively  to  the  Saviour.  Not  praying  in 
the  name  of  Christ,  but  simply  to  Christ.  The  manner  of 
address  too,  is  such  as  would  appear  very  strange  in  English; 
as  0,  du  kleines  Kind. 

I  was  told  this  evening  by  Judge  Focke,  that  in  all  the 
great  revivals  of  religion  which  have  occurred  in  Germany 
of  late,  the  same  bodily  exercises  which  excited  so  much 
attention  in  the  south  and  west  of  our  country,  have  been 
present  to  a  greater  or  less  degree.  In  Pomerania,  cases 
of  what  were  called  demoniacal  possession  occurred.  A 
young  woman  was  often  thrown  into  the  greatest  bodily 


1 64  BERLIN.  [1827. 

agitation;  rolling  over  and  over,  and  her  mind  subsequently 
thrown  into  a  state  resembling  the  heathen  ecstasy,  in 
which  she  would  prophesy  (in  what  sense  of  that  word  I 
know  not).  These  were  only  transient  seasons ;  for  the  rest 
she  appeared  to  be  a  true,  humble  Christian.  These  extra- 
ordinary appearances  soon  ceased.  It  is  certainly  remarka- 
ble that  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  seasons  of  religious 
excitement  should  be  attended  by  such  similar  outward 
disturbances.  I  suppose  it  was  to  cases  of  this  kind  that 
Tholuck  referred  the  other  evening,  when  speaking  on  the 
passage  "  Quench  not  the  Spirit,"  he  said,  "  We  should  be 
( careful  not  off-hand  to  condemn  as  fanaticism,  anything  of 
an  extraordinary  character,  which  attended  unusual  out- 
pourings of  the  Spirit." 

December  3  ist.  I  spent  this  evening  with  Tholuck,  in 
company  with  others,  at  Neander's.  Neander  had  just 
been  reading  a  review  of  Bishop  Hobart's  sermons  in  the 
Christian  Observer.  He  was  much  surprised  to  find  such 
high  church  principles  in  America,  which  he  thought  little 
accordant  with  the  spirit  of  freedom.  He  said  he  was 
going  Catholisch.  Tholuck  said,  that  it  was  singular  that 
from  England,  three  works  should  at  this  period  make  their 
way  to  the  Continent,  all  tending  to  promote  the  Catholic 
cause ;  "  Lingard's  History,"  already  translated  into  Ger- 
man, French  and  Italian;  "Dallas's  History  of  the  Jesuits," 
also  translated ;  and  "  Cobbet's  History  of  the  Reforma- 
tion in  England,"  this  last,  particularly  as  translated  by 
Catholics,  is  a  matter  of  offence  to  the  Protestants  here. 
Neander  said,  he  thought  "  Hug's  Introduction  to  the  New 
Testament,"  although  the  best,  was  very  imperfect  in  its  his- 
torical part.  The  accommodation  theory,  he  said,  had  been 
given  up  by  all  Rationalists  of  any  consequence.  This 
led  to  a  conversation  on  the  doctrine  of  Inspiration. 
Neander  was  disposed  to  recognize  the  infallibility  of  the 
Apostles  in  all  doctrinal  points,  but  not  in  their  manner  of 
proving  them.  Thus  it  was  certain  that  Christ  was  God, 


JET.  30.]  BERLIN.  1 65 

but  all  Paul's  arguments  in  support  of  the  doctrine  from 
the  Old  Testament  are  not  of  force,  as  in  the  1st  chapter  of 
Hebrews.  To  this  succeeded  a  long  discussion  on  the  doc- 
trine of  Predestination.  All  were  opposed  to  it.  Calvin, 
Neander  said,  makes  God  the  author  of  sin,  and  this  he 
considered  the  dangerous  tendency  of  the  doctrine.  He 
admitted  that  those  who  represent  the  cause  of  a  sinner's 
rejection  of  the  gospel  as  lying  in  himself,  avoided  the  dan- 
gerous practical  tendency  of  the  doctrine.  He  acknow- 
ledged freely  that  it  is  entirely  of  grace,  that  men  are 
brought  to  faith  and  salvation.  But  it  lies  with  every  man, 
either  to  accept  or  reject  this  grace.  This  he  considered  to 
be  involved  in  the  idea  of  man's  efficiency  and  freedom, 
selbstbestimmung.  Tholuck  remarked  that  the  two  ex- 
tremes were  Pelagianism,  and  the  making  God  the  author 
of  sin.  Truth  lies  in  the  midst.  To  this  I  believe  all  freely 
assented,  predestinarians  and  anti-predestinarians.  Neander 
maintained  that  it  was  clearly  to  be  inferred  from  the  Scrip- 
tures that  those  who  have  no  offer  of  the  gospel  in  this 
world,  will  have  it  in  the  world  to  come.  This  follows  ne- 
cessarily, he  said,  out  of  the  principles  contained  in  the 
Bible.  As  to  others  nothing  can  be  distinctly  affirmed. 
He  thought  that  the  passage  in  which  our  Saviour  says, 
"  The  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  not  be  forgiven 
either  in  this  world  or  in  the  world  to  come,"  implied  that 
other  sins  might  be  forgiven,  or  that  sinners  might  be 
brought  to  faith  in  Christ  after  death.  In  both  these  points 
Tholuck  concurred.  In  coming  away,  Neander  shook  me 
very  affectionately  by  the  hand,  and  said  to  Tholuck,  "Tell 
our  friend  Hodge,  that  though  we  dispute  with  him,  we 
belong  to  the  same  Lord,  and  are  one  in  heart." 

Read  at  evening  prayer  with   Monod  the  poth   Psalm. 

So  closed  another  year  of  sins  and  mercies. 

To  Jesus  Christ,  God  over  all  and  blessed  forever,  may  my  life  be 
consecrated.  His  kingdom  come,  His  will  be  done.  Amen.  Charles 
Hodge. 


1 66  BERLIN.  [1828. 

January  2dt  1828.  I  spent  this  evening  at  Professor 
Hollweg's,  Rector  of  the  University,  with  Tholuck,  the 
Gerlachs  and  others.  Tholuck  asked  which  was  the  better 
way  when  working  among  the  heathen,  or  Christians  sunk 
in  error,  as  the  members  of  the  eastern  churches,  to  preach 
publicly  against  the  reigning  doctrines,  and  come  out  as 
reformers  and  form  a  distinct  sect,  or  to  confine  attention 
alone  to  the  heart,  and  let  all  abuses  alone,  to  be  cast  aside 
by  those  whose  hearts  are  changed.  Prof.  Hollweg  was 
for  the  latter.  Tholuck  seemed  more  inclined  to  the  former. 
jt  seemed  to  me  that  neither  pointed  out  the  exact  course. 
The  truth  and  all  the  truth  should  be  preached  as  by  Paul 
with  like  wisdom  and  faithfulness,  and  each  truth  in  pro- 
portion to  its  importance ;  regeneration  and  atonement 
above  all.  The  men  of  our  day  are  too  feeble.  They 
speak  too  softly  to  the  people.  They  are  not  like  the  pro- 
phets and  apostles.  _ 

(The  Christians  here  seem  inclined  to  think  it  is  against 
the  spirit  of  the  gospel  for  women  to  be  authors!] 

Saturday,  $th.  This  evening  I  went  with  Mr.  Robinson 
to  Otto  von  Gerlach's.  A  discourse  from  Zinzendorf 
was  read. 

Monday  *fth.  Called  with  Mr.  Robinson  upon  Neander, 
and  found  the  dear  little  man  in  a  very  talkative  humor. 
He  is  very  inquisitive  about  the  United  States,  and  seems 
afraid  of  the  increase  of  the  Catholics  among  us. 

Thursday,  loth.  Drank  tea  this  evening  with  Hengsten- 
berg.  He  remarked,  that  Gesenius  scarcely  in  any  one 
point,  differs  in  his  views  of  the  Old  Testament  from  De 
Wette.  He  has  only  carried  further  out  what  De  Wette 
had  said  in  fewer  words.  Jahn,  he  thinks,  on  the  testi- 
mony of  Heubner,  was  a  Christian,  and  did  not  defend  the 
authenticity  of  the  various  parts  of  the  Old  Testament, 
because  he  was  a  Catholic.  This  led  to  a  conversation  on 
Jahn's  view  of  the  original  state  of  man.  Hengstenberg 
maintained  that  our  first  parents  were  in  many  respects 


XT.  30.]  BERLIN  1 67 

children ;  they  had  indeed  the  image  of  God,  but  undeveloped 
and  unbewusst.  I  objected  to  this  the  light  in  which 
they  are  presented 'in  the  Old  Testament,  and  especially  the 
position  of  Adam  as  our  federal  representative.  This  led 
to  a  long  conversation  on  the  point  of  representation. 
Hengstenberg  said,  he  would  willingly  admit  it  as  a  fact  if 
it  was  taught  in  Scripture.  But  he  thought  it  was  not,  or 
at  least  not  clearly,  and  that  if  it  were,  it  left  us  just  as  we 
were  without  it,  as  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  how  we  are 
made  sinners  in  this  way.  He  admits  hereditary  original 
sin — not  as  an  evil  or  sickness,  but  as  a  sin — but  how  to 
reconcile  it  with  the  attributes  of  God  he  cannot  answer. 
This  is  the  mystery  ;  the  fact  he  admits. 

Sunday,  ijth.  Heard,  this  morning,  Theremin  preach  a 
very  plain,  excellent  sermon  on  the  barren  fig-tree.  In  the 
evening  I  attended  the  meeting  at  the  Frau  von  Schonberg's, 
the  company  much  the  same  as  before.  Gossner  lectured 
on  the  1 2th  chapter  of  Acts.  His  remarks  on  the  efficacy 
of  prayer,  and  the  influence  of  afflictions  in  driving  us  to 
pray,  were  very  excellent.  His  Roman  Catholic  peculiarities 
are  striking.  He  addressed  both  his  prayers  from  begin- 
ning to  end  to  the  Saviour ;  and  as  the  last  verse  of  the 
hymn  which  was  sung,  spoke  of  the  hand  of  the  Saviour  lead- 
ing His  people,  he  addressed  this  hand  for  some  time,  0 
du  Hebe  hand,  O  thou  dear  hand  which  was  nailed  on  the 
cross  for  us.  His  warm  piety,  his  experience,  his  sufferings 
make  him  an  interesting  man. 

Ludwig  von  Gerlach  came  home  with  me  and  remained 
until  2  o'clock.  As  usual  we  got  into  a  religious  political 
debate,  for  politics  with  him  rests  on  religion.  The  result 
of  our  conversation  was  for  me  very  interesting,  as  I  have 
clearer  views  of  his  ideas  of  the  foundations  of  government. 
He  had  previously  spoken  of  the  authority  of  kings  as  ana- 
logous in  its  basis  to  that  of  fathers.  But  to-night  he  made 
it  rest  solely  or  mainly  on  the  right  of  property.  He  said, 
We  have  only  to  think  of  a  man  with  considerable  proper- 


1 68  BERLIN.  [1828. 

ty,  servants,  tenants,  etc. ;  whose  property  is  constantly  in- 
creasing, until  he  becomes  a  prince.  Two  hundred  years 
ago  the  King  of  Prussia,  as  Graf  von  Niirnberg  was  not  so 
rich  as  an  English  "lord.  But  by  marriages,  by  gifts,  by 
purchases,  by  conquests,  his  property  has  increased  to  its 
present  size.  He  and  all  kings  are  ground  owners ;  all  others 
are  tenants  under  him.  But  their  rights  are  as  sacred  as  his, 
and  his  rights  may,  as  has  occurred  in  England  particular- 
ly, continually  decrease — he  and  his  tenants  may,  from 
time  to  time,  as  circumstances  require,  make  new  contracts. 
If  the  king  disregards  the  rights  of  the  tenants  to  a  certain 
degree,  they  have  a  right  to  exclude  him  and  call  the  next 
heir,  from  whom  they  may  exact  a  promise  of  respecting 
their  rights — as,  for  instance,  when  James  II.  of  England 
was  excluded  and  the  Orange  family  succeeded,  it  was  upon 
the  condition  that  they  and  their  successors  should  remain 
Protestant.  It  is  with  states  as  with  individuals,  property 
may  be  increased  in  an  unjust,  as  well  as  in  a  just  manner; 
but  as  in  the  case  of  the  individual,  the  title  of  property, 
though  bad  at  first,  became  sanctioned  by  time,  by  con- 
tracts, etc. ;  so  it  is  with  kings.  All  this  he  forced  me  to 
admit,  and  I  feared  that  I  was  completely  foiled  in  the  argu- 
ment. My  resort  was  this — having  obtained  the  conces- 
sion that  the  king's  authority  is  founded  on  property,  and 
not  on  the  parental  relation,  which  is  entirely  a  different  thing, 
I  put  \\imjirst  to  historically  proving  that  kings  were  the 
real  proprietors  of  all  the  ground  in  their  respective  king- 
doms, and  here  my  great  inferiority  in  historical  and  legal 
knowledge  put  me  to  a  great  disadvantage.  I  therefore 
asked  secondly,  on  what  rested  the  right  of  property  itself? 
What  was  its  moral  ground  ?  He  answered,  "  God's  com- 
mand," but  he  conceded  that  the  ultimate  ground  was  ex- 
pediency in  its  best  sense,  i.  e.,  a  tendency  to  promote  the 
good  of  society.  Then,  I  claimed,  when  this  right  inter- 
fered with  this  object,  it  ceased  to  exist.  This  principle  he 
recognized.  It  is  recognized  in  every  community.  When 


MT.  30.]  BERLIN.  1 69 

the  private  right  of  property  vesting  in  an  individual  comes 
evidently  into  conflict  with  this  object,  his  right  is  sacrificed 
to  the  public  good,  e.  g.y  the  sacrifice  of  private  property 
in  cutting  new  streets  and  roads,  and  in  time  of  war.  Hav- 
ing fixed  this  principle,  we  agree,  that  admitting  this  right 
of  property  in  kings,  it  could  be  justly  invalidated  on  the 
same  grounds  on  which  the  private  right  of  property  may 
be  invalidated.  So  far  we  agreed.  Now  it  is  for  me  to 
prove  that  the  immense  accumulation  of  property  in  the 
hands  of  kings,  as  proprietors  of  whole  countries,  is  incon- 
sistent with  the  well  being  of  society,  the  best  interests  of 
man.  When  the  enjoyment  of  another's  right  of  property 
is  inconsistent  with  the  enjoyment  of  my  right  of  property, 
one  or  the  other  must  yield.  •  In  the  case  of  nuisances, 
when  the  right  of  property  of  one  interferes  with  the  right 
of  property  of  many,  there  is  no  doubt  which  must  yield. 
But  a  fortiori,  when  the  right  of  property  of  one  interferes 
with  or  endangers  not  merely  the  rights  of  property  of  mil- 
lions, but  their  moral  and  religious  improvement,  their  best 
interests  in  this  world,  and  their  hopes  (more  or  less)  in  the 
next — the  case  is  clear  enough — what  is  to  be  done. 

He  is  a  noble  fellow.  Though  grieved  with  my  obsti- 
nacy, he  gave  me  two  kisses  when  he  went,  (one,  however, 
less  than  usual).  Happily  he  does  not  wear  mustachios. 

Wednesday,  16.  This  evening  I  drank  tea  with  Major 
von  Roder,  his  two  brothers,  and  several  others.  The 
Major  is  a  very  affectionate,  free  and  easy  man.  His  heart 
seems  always  full  of  pious  feeling.  He  talks  of  the  Saviour 
as  one  talks  of  a  friend.  The  difference  between  the  free 
German  manifestation  of  feeling,  and  our  reserve,  is  very 
striking.  Roder  had  three  brothers  killed  in  the  last  war, 
and  he  himself  was  shot  through  the  side  of  his  head,  which 
has  destroyed  the  hearing  of  one  ear  and  the  sight  of  one 
eye  without  disfiguring  him  in  the  least.  Yesterday  and 
to-day  the  thermometer  is  about  one  degree  above  zero  of 
Fahrenheit. 


I7O  BERLIN.  [1828. 

Friday,  January  18.  Thermometer  still  about  zero. 
This  evening  the  Lieutenant  von  Senfft  drank  tea  with  me. 
He  read  some  letters  which  he  had  received  lately  from 
friends.  One  from  an  officer,  whom  he  described  as  a  rough 
and  imperfectly  educated  man,  who,  having  been  brought  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  Saviour  in  Berlin,  is  now  working 
with  great  effect  in  the  place  in  which  he  is  stationed.  All 
these  were  dead  before,  but  at  present  several  of  his  brother 
officers  have  been  converted,  and  many  of  the  citizens  come 
to  him  to  talk  about  their  souls,  and  the  children  flock  to 
him  for  tracts  and  religious  books.  Er  muss  viel  beten,  said 
Senfft.  He  related  also  that  six  or  seven  of  his  personal 
friends  had  been  awakened  from  their  indifference  in  the 
first  instance  by  Schleiermacher.  Monod  related  a  conver- 
sation he  had  this  afternoon  with  Mr.  Ancillon,  one  of  the 
Councillors  of  State.  He  spoke  very  severely  against  de- 
votional meetings,  and  thought  that  all  religious  meetings 
out  of  the  Church  should  be  forbidden.  His  reason  was 
that  those  assembled  could  talk  of  politics.  Happily  for 
Prussia,  the  king  has  much  more  liberal  and  Christian  views 
than  many  of  his  ministers.  Senfft,  speaking  of  the  king, 
praised  his  economy  very  much.  He  is  far  from  spending 
his  income,  and  is  constantly  laying  up  money,  although 
he  gives  liberally  whenever  called  upon.  He  allows  his 
unmarried  sons  36,000,  his  married  sons  80,000,  and  the 
Crown  Prince  120,000  thalers  per  year. 

Sunday,  2Oth.  I  heard  this  morning  a  very  indifferent 
sermon  from  the  Probst  Neander  (not  the  professor).  In 
the  evening  I  was  at  Neander's.  He  is  very  much  in- 
terested in  the  state  of  the  Church  in  America,  and  wishes 
very  much  that  the  Church  and  State  could  be  separated 
here.  On  this  subject  there  was  much  conversation  this 
evening,  for  his  liberal  views  are  not  shared  by  all  his 
friends. 

Thursday,  24..  This  afternoon  I  attended  a  meeting  of 
the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences.  Schleiermacher  read  a 


JET.  so.]  BERLIN.  171 

short  paper  on  "  Kings  being  authors,"  Humboldt,  on 
"  The  Analogy  of  Languages,"  and  a  translation  of  an 
Eastern  mythological  poem.  The  astronomer  Enke  read 
an  account  of  his  progress  in  forming  certain  astronomical 
tables.  It  was  strange  to  see  the  old  Duke  of  Cumberland, 
the  Crown  Prince,  and  several  other  members  of  the  Royal 
family  at  such  a  meeting. 

Friday,  February  i.  I  called  this  morning  upon  the  ex- 
minister  Bekedorf.  This  gentleman,  while  in  the  govern- 
ment, had  the  charge  of  the  primary  schools  and  the  Semi- 
naries for  teachers.  Since  his  passing  over  to  the  Catholic 
Church  he  has  vacated  his  station,  but  continues  the  super- 
intendence of  the  journal  devoted  to  the  school  system. 
He  was  exceedingly  polite  in  communicating  information 
on  this  subject,  and  promised  to  send  me  his  work,  in  which 
the  whole  system  is  explained.  He  said  his  first  grand  ob- 
ject was  to  get  proper  teachers,  and  for  this  purpose  at  least 
one  main  seminary  for  teachers  is  established  in  each  of  the 
ten  Prussian  provinces.  These  are  intended  for  the  prepa- 
ration of  teachers  for  all  schools  below  the  gymnasia  (which 
are  under  another  system)  excepting  those  of  the  very 
lowest  order,  in  which  merely  the  most  indispensable 
branches  are  taught.  The  preparation  of  teachers  he  con- 
sidered the  main  object.  The  support  of  the  teachers  came 
from  the  people,  not  from  the  government.  Every  man, 
whether  he  had  children  or  not,  was  assessed  according  to 
his  property,  and  all  then  had  the  right  to  send  their  child- 
ren to  the  school,  and  the  civil  authorities  had  the  right  to 
force  reluctant  or  negligent  parents  to  send  their  children. 
The  same  plan  is  carried  out  in  all  parts  of  the  kingdom 
among  Protestants,  Catholics,  and  Jews.  All  must  send 
their  children  to  school. 

Monday  Evening,  February  ^.th.  I  was  at  Professor  Holl- 
weg's.  There  were  several  Professors  of  the  University  and 
their  wives  present,  and  Ritter,  the  great  geologist  and 
physical-geographer,  among  the  number.  I  was  very  glad 


172  BERLIN.  [1828. 

to  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  this  interesting  man.  He 
is  mild  and  humble,  with  a  remarkably  intelligent  face.  I 
was  always  under  the  impression  that  he  was  rather  of  the 
free-thinking  school,  as  so  many  devoted  to  his  branch  of 
science  are.  But  to  my  delight  I  learned  that  he  was  a 
Christian.  Strauss,  the  popular  Court  Preacher,  was  also 
there  ;  a  man  of  astonishing  vivacity.  The  subject  of  the 
connection  between  Church  and  State  was  introduced.  On 
this  subject  his  opinions  are  ultramontanist.  He  makes 
the  king  the  ordinarius  of  the  whole  Church — the  supreme 
bishop.  Against  this  the  whole  company  exclaimed — 
Baron  Bunsen,  the  Count  von  Graber,  Major  von  Roder, 
Senfft,  Le  Coq,  Hollweg.  This  I  thought  was  a  good 
sign.  They  appeared  almost  as  much  shocked  as  I  was  to 
hear  Strauss  declare  his  conviction,  that  if  the  State  with- 
drew its  support  from  the  Church  in  this  country,  it  would 
fall  entirely.  After  a  hundred  years,  there  might  be  some 
traces  of  Christianity  left,  but  that  would  be  all ! ! 

Tuesday,  $th.  This  evening  I  attended  a  meeting  at 
Strauss's.  There  were  about  fifteen  or  eighteen  students, 
privatim-docentes,  &c.,  present,  with  Baron  Bunsen  and 
Count  Graber.  One  of  the  students  read  a  translation  of 
one  of  the  discourses  of  Macarius.  On  this  there  was 
considerable  conversation,  displaying  on  the  part  of  the 
young  men  a  considerable  acquaintance  with  this  and  other 
Fathers.  The  subject  of  conversation  was  then  stated — 
whether  the  justitia  vitae  of  a  Christian  was  really  or  only 
figuratively  a  sacrificium ;  on  this  point  there  was  a  warm 
debate  pro  and  con.,  for  above  an  hour :  the  whole  a  mere 
logomachy.  This  gave  me  occasion  to  remark  the  effect 
on  their  minds,  of  the  universal  attention  to  philosophy  re- 
quired of  the  students  in  Germany.  They  were  acute  and 
discriminating,  but  amazingly  deficient  in  plain,  healthy 
good  sense.  A  second  question  was  started.  "  In  what 
sense  can  public  worship  be  called  a  sacrifice?  In  the  same, 
or  in  a  different  sense  from  that  in  which  the  justitia  vitae  is 


^ET.  30.]  BERLIN. 

so  called  ?"  Here  again  the  opinions  were  various.  Bun- 
sen,  though  a  layman,  has  occupied  himself  much  with  the 
subject  of  Liturgies,  and  has  got  the  notion  that  the  Opfer- 
idee  should  be  the  reigning  idea  in  Christian  worship.  In 
this  there  is  nothing  of  a  papistical  sense;  he  means  merely 
a  presentation  of  ourselves  before  God,  as  a  living  sacrifice 
consecrated  to  his  glory.  But  the  abuse  of  this  term  lies 
so  near,  that  most  present  objected  to  its  being  employed. 
I  was  particularly  delighted  to  hear  Graber,  in  his  soldier's 
uniform,  cry  out  against  the  idea  that  men  could  give  any- 
thing to  God.  "  I  have,"  said  he,  "  nothing  but  my  sinful, 
hateful  self  to  give.  Shall  I  call  that  an  offering,  when  the 
Bible  calls  Christ  an  offering  ?  To  apply  the  same  term  to 
things  so  infinitely  different,  is  too  much."  His  good  sense 
and  warm  Christian  feeling  made  him  see  more  clearly  and 
express  more  forcibly  the  true  merits  of  the  case,  than  all 
the  speculating  theologians  present. 

Sunday,  February  loth,  1828.  This  evening  Otto  von 
Gerlach  came  to  see  me.  His  conversation  is  always 
instructive.  He  spoke  a  good  deal  of  the  Jews,  and  of  the 
efforts  made  for  their  conversion.  Of  all  those  with  whom 
he  had  anything  to  do,  he  found  only  one  in  whom  he  has 
entire  confidence.  The  numerous  instances  of  disappointed 
hopes  exceed  almost  belief.  They  turn  out  badly  after  the 
longest  probation;  they  make  the  most  enormous  demands; 
have  the  idea  that  they  are  the  lords  of  the  world ;  that 
all  exists  only  for  them.  In  short  they  are  here  as  they  are 
with  us  in  America.  The  good  king,  much  to  the  scandal 
of  all  classes,  to-day  gave  a  ball  at  mid-day,  during  Church 
time,  and  is  said  to  have  requested  his  sons  to  give  a  mask- 
ball  next  Sunday.  This  is  something  quite  unusual  here. 
The  king  appears  to  have  few  resources  in  himself,  takes 
little  interest  in  the  government,  and  therefore  turns  to  the 
theatre  and  to  balls  to  fill  up  his  head  and  heart.  A.  Von 

H said  he  was  "!'  homme  le  plus  ennuye  et  le  plus  en- 

nuyant  dans   le  mond."     Otto  von   Gerlach   thought  the 


174  BERLIN.  [1828. 

measures  of  the  minister  Hardenberg,  for  the  liberty  of  the 
peasants,  most  unjust.  In  many  cases,  where  they  were 
tenants  on  leases  of  six  years,  the  rule  that  by  giving  up 
one-half  of  the  land  to  the  proprietor,  they  should  receive 
the  other  in  fee-simple,  was  applied.  The  peasants  them- 
selves, he  says,  regard  the  king  as  making  them  pure  pea- 
sants. The  liberal  party,  which  had  its  fall  in  1819,  was 
unfriendly  to  the  rights  of  cities  and  communes,  and 
confined  its  views  to  making  the  general  government  liberal, 
while  it  endeavored  to  stretch  governmental  authority  over 
the  most  minute  arrangements,  allowing  no  town  to  elect 
its  own  officers.  The  Anti-liberal  party  opposed  this,  and 
by  its  success  prevented  Prussia  being  brought  into  the 
state  in  which  France  is  at  present,  where  the  mayor  and 
officers  of  every  city,  commune,  department,  and  province, 
is  appointed  by  the  central  government.  In  Bavaria,  Wur- 
temburg,  and  other  places,  where  constitutions  have  been 
given,  the  people  are  in  reality  less  free  than  before,  as  the 
central  governments  meddle  with  eveiiything.  This  almost 
everywhere  in  Germany  is  far  more  the  case  than  it  was  one 
hundred  years  ago,  except  in  the  kingdom  of  Saxony,  and 
in  Mecklenburg,  where  the  old  regulations  are  preserved. 
Gerlach  gave  several  instances  of  the  evil  of  the  central 
government  meddling  with  everything.  The  ministry 
ordered  at  one  time  that  mathematics  should  be  introduced 
into  all  schools  in  the  kingdom,  and  made  the  Bildungs- 
princip.  After  a  few  years  another  general  order  came 
directing  that  all  the  schools  should  be  newly  organized, 
and  conducted  on  a  different  principle,  and  so  it  changes. 
In  one  province  an  order  was  issued  that  all  houses  must 
stand  fifty  feet  apart,  and  they  actually  tore  down  houses  to 
prevent  their  standing  too  near  together. 

Wednesday,  2jth.  This  evening  I  drank  tea  with  Hengs- 
tenberg.  I  was  surprised  to  hear  him  and  other  gentlemen 
present,  say  that  the  idea  usually  entertained  of  the  learning 
of  the  German  clergy  generally,  was  erroneous ;  that  he  was 


JET.  30.]  BERLIN,  175 

sure  the  majority  could  not  read  the  Greek  Testament. 
This  he  ascribed  to  the  influence  of  Rationalism,  as  former- 
ly the  reverse  was  the  case.  Almost  every  preacher  was  in 
the  habit  of  taking  the  original  Scriptures  in  the  pulpit  and 
commenting  on  them  more  or  less  in  every  discourse. 

March  2d,  1828.  To-day  I  attended  the  disputation  of 
my  good  friend,  Otto  von  Gerlach.  His  Theses  were  in  a 
true  evangelical  spirit,  and  were  not  attacked  by  his  oppo- 
nents with  much  force.  His  opponents  were  the  privat 
docent  Pelt,  and  Drs.  Wegner  and  Schneckenburger.  The 
accession  of  Otto  von  Gerlach  to  the  University  may  be 
considered  as  a  very  favorable  circumstance  for  the  cause  of 
truth  in  Berlin. 

Wednesday,  March  I2th.  This  evening  the  Herrn  von  Bii- 

low  and  von ,  from  Pomerania,  drank  tea  with  me,  in 

company  with  the  Gerlachs,  Focke,  Le  Coq,  &c.  These 
two  gentlemen  come  from  the  very  midst  of  the  revival 
which  is  still  continuing  in  that  country.  It  commenced  in 
1820-21,  by  the  agency  of  two  brothers  of  Von  Biilow. 
After  various  struggles  with  the  ministers  and  civil  authori- 
ties, in  which  this  gentleman  was  often  fined,  and  the  gens 
d'  armes  were  sent  to  scatter  the  people  who  assembled  in 
his  house,  the  work  appeared  to  subside.  But  it  has  now 
broken  out  anew.  Eight  hundred  often  assemble  in  his 
mansion ;  these  he  regards  as  true  Christians.  Much  that 
is  disorderly  and  much  that  is  very  remarkable  has  occurred 
— visions,  prophetic  powers,  possessions,  &c. — as  might 
have  been  expected  among  a  people  so  little  cultivated,  and 
in  a  state  of  so  much  excitement.  With  these  two  gentle- 
men I  was  exceedingly  pleased.  They  had  the  same  fervent 
freshness  of  feeling  which  men  active  in  revivals  most  com- 
monly have  with  us.  Before  the  evening  was  over,  they 
proposed  singing  and  prayer.  As  the  clergy  in  Pomerania 
are  peculiarly  opposed  to  every  thing  like  vital  piety,  these, 
and  other  young  men,  have  taken  upon  themselves  the 
office  of  preaching,  and  stand  in  a  very  uneasy  relation  to 


1 76  BERLIN.  [1828. 

the  Church,  their  sentiments  on  Church  discipline,  on 
the  nature  of  the  Church,  and  the  rights  of  members  agree- 
ing very  much  with  those  of  the  Puritans. 

Friday,  ifth.  I  dined  to-day  with  these  gentlemen  at 
Justice  Focke's.  A  servant,  with  whom  they  were  previous- 
ly acquainted,  came  from  Potsdam  to  see  them,  and  these 
noblemen  kissed  and  hugged  him  as  though  he  had  been 
their  equal  and  brother. 

In  the  evening  I  called  for  a  few  moments,  with  Lieuten- 
ant von  Senfft  on  the  Grafin  von  Graben.  She  is  a  most 
interesting,  lovely  woman,  full  of  ardent  feelings  of  piety, 
and  with  much  more  vivacity  than  is  common  among  Ger- 
man ladies. 

Saturday,  ijtk.  Had  a  long  conversation  with  Otto  Von 
Gerlach  about  our  form  of  Church  Government.  Here  all 
the  ecclesiastical  affairs  are  under  the  direction  of  the  con- 
sistorium  and  the  ministerium.  Each  province  has  its 
consistorium ;  the  members  appointed  by  the  king,  of  equal 
numbers  of  clergymen  and  laymen.  There  are  many 
merely  nominal  members,  as  the  title  of  Consistorial  Rath 
is  often  given  as  a  mere  matter  of  honor.  The  consistorium 
has  very  little  power.  It  has  the  duty  of  examining  can- 
didates and  watching  over  the  doctrines  preached.  The 
executive  government  of  the  several  circles,  of  which  there 
are  generally  two  in  each  province,  has  the  right  of  patron- 
age, i.  e.,  exercises  the  king's  patronage  within  their  limits, 
which  extends  to  about  one-half  the  congregations.  The 
other  half  receive  their  pastors,  some  by  the  appointment 
of  the  magistrates  of  towns,  others  by  that  of  the  land- 
holder ;  a  very  few  have  the  right  of  choosing  their  own 
pastors.  The  power  of  the  Minister  of  Ecclesiastical 
Affairs,  and  of  his  council,  extends  over  the  whole  kingdom, 
and  is  very  great.  Otto  von  Gerlach  relates  several 
instances  of  the  interference  of  the  government  in  the 
most  harmless  affairs,  as  in  the  case  of  his  own  brother, 
who  was  several  times  molested  for  having  a  prayer-meeting 


/EX.  30.]  BERLIN. 

in  his  house.  And  the  candidate  Meinhof  told  me  of  his 
being  called  to  account  for  having  talked  and  prayed  with  a 
man  who  called  to  see  him  under  considerable  religious 
excitement. 

[Under  date  of  March  2Oth,  Mr.  Hodge  writes  to  his 
wife."  I  shall  soon  be  left  alone  here.  That  is,  my  house 
companions,  Mr.  Robinson  and  Mr.  Monod,  are  going  in  a 
few  days,  the  former  to  Halle,  the  latter  to  Paris.  You 
will  be  surprised  to  hear  that  the  sober  Mr.  Robinson  has 
fallen  in  love.  I  received  a  note,  a  day  or  two  ago,  written 
by  him  (as  his  modesty  prevented  a  personal  communica- 
tion) with  the  official  information  that  the  Fraiilein  Von 
Jacob  had  consented  to  accompany  him  to  America  as  his 
wife.  I  have  spoken  to  you,  I  believe,  of  this  lady  and  her 
family  before  in  my  letters.  Robinson  has  done  well.  The 
lady  is  agreeable  and  very  accomplished,  speaking  several 
languages,  and  acquainted  with  the  literature  of  most 
European  nations."] 

Sunday,  March  2jd.  I  heard  Lisco  preach  this  morning 
on  the  Fall  of  Peter.  The  Church  was  so  full  that  it  was 
impossible  to  get  a  seat.  Last  Sunday  Mr.  Robinson 
could  not  get  in  at  all,  not  even  open  the  doors.  It  is  a 
good  indication  that  those  ministers  who  preach  the  gospel 
faithfully  have  their  churches  overflowing.  In  the  evening 
I  drank  tea  with  Lisco,  met  the  Moravian  minister,  Mr. 
Semler,  and  von  Senfft.  The  conversation  at  first  turned 
on  the  late  order  of  the  Ministerium,  requiring  every 
student,  who  is  to  be  examined,  to  produce  a  certificate  of 
regular  attendance  upon  Church  and  the  Lord's  Supper. 
The  students,  with  the  approbation  of  the  faculty,  petitioned 
against  this.  The  Ministerium  returned  a  very  severe, 
harsh  answer,  viz. — that  such  inexperienced  youth  ought 
not  to  have  the  presumption  to  think  they  could  change  the 
opinion  of  Ministers,  &c.,  &c.  This  the  students  received 
in  the  mildest  possible  manner,  and  said  they  would  endea- 
vor to  show  the  Ministerium  that  they  did  not  need  such 
12 


1 78  BERLIN.  [1828. 

external  Inducements  to  make  them  do  their  duty.  In  con- 
sequence of  the  active  part  which  one  of  the  students  took 
in  the  petition,  his  licentia  conscionandi  has  been  refused 
him.  This  whole  affair  has  excited  great  attention.  The 
Christians,  as  well  as  the  liberals,  are  exceedingly  opposed 
to  the  order  of  the  Ministerium.  Schleiermacher,  who 
belongs  to  the  latter  description,  refuses  to  give  certificates 
to  those  who  attend  his  Church  or  Communion  table,  and 
he  tells  them  to  say  to  the  Consistorium,  that  he  will  not 
act  according  to  the  requirements  of  the  Government 
in  this  respect.  The  whole  thing  will,  I  suspect,  fall 
through. 

Mr.  Couard  complained  of  the  operation  of  censure  in 
reference  to  printing  the  tracts  of  the  Tract  Society.  He 
said  it  was  so  hard  to  satisfy  those  in  authority  that  a  tract 
did  not  lead  to  separatismus,  a  thing  as  much  dreaded  as  a 
revolution  in  politics,  Mr.  Semler  said  that  in  an  article  he 
wrote  for  the  newspaper  on  establishments  for  the  poor,  he 
remarked  that  "  nothing  could  be  done  until  the  education 
of  the  poor  was  put  on  a  Christian  basis."  The  word 
"  Christian  "  was  struck  out,  and  "  moral  "  inserted,  because 
the  Ministerium  had  forbidden  any  thing  to  appear  which 
might  bring  before  the  public  the  "  religious  movement "  of 
the  day.  Lindner,  a  Professor  at  Leipsic,  was  displaced 
from  his  office  as  teacher  of  religion  in  one  of  the  largest 
schools  there,  because  in  explaining  the  passage  that  a  man 
must  love  Christ  more  than  father,  mother,  &c.,  his  remarks 
tended  to  diminish  the  respect  of  children  for  their  parents, 
and  therefore  had  a  revolutionary  tendency.  Prof.  Lindner 
is  an  excellent  man.  This  is  equal  to  the  solicitude  of  the 
pastors  of  Geneva,  who  requested  Mr.  Monod  to  erase  from 
his  sermon  the  expression,  that  "  if  a  man  hate  not  his 
father,  &c."  I  have  been  pained  to  hear  from  Monod  that 
the  state  of  morals,  even  in  the  Protestant  Cantons  of 
Switzerland,  is  exceedingly  corrupt,  and  particularly  in 
Berne  and  Lucerne.  Geneva  forms  a  striking  exception. 


^T.  30.]  BERLIN.  179 

The  Swiss  battalion  in  Berlin  from  Neufchatel  is  said  to  be 
the  most  corrupt  of  any  in  the  Prussian  guards,  if  not  of  the 
whole  army.  Monod  says  it  is  the  same  with  the  Swiss 
officers  in  Paris.  Mr.  Semler  mentioned  that  the  battalion 
in  the  Tyrol  has  been  the  means  of  the  greatest  good  in  that 
country.  The  soldiers  serve  eight  years,  and  during  that 
time  they  have  a  constant  course  of  religious  instruction. 

It  is  said  that  the  Ministerium  wish  to  send  Prof.  Hengs- 
tenberg  to  Bonn,  or  force  him  to  relinquish  the  Kirchen- 
Zeitung.  It  seems  as  if  a  storm  was  brewing.  The  Min- 
isterium censured  the  Theological  Faculty  respecting  the 
petition  of  the  students,  and  particularly  Neander.  The 
Hegelians  are  working  strongly  against  the  Evangelical 
party.  Marheineke  had  the  amazing  presumption  to  say  to 
Neander  in  a  meeting  of  the  Senatus  Academicus,  "  Thou 
ignorant  man  (p.  149).  You  are  unworthy  that  I  should 
answer  you."  "  Happily,"  replied  Neander,  "  You  are  not 
my  judge."  When  some  person  present  exclaimed  at  Mar- 
heineke's  conduct,  asking  how  he  could  call  one  of  the 
most  learned  men  in  Germany  an  ignoramus,  he  answered, 
"  He  knows  nothing  of  Philosophy,"  i.  e.,  Hegel's  system. 

Wednesday,  March  26th.  Das  Hohe  Ministerium  are 
much  dissatisfied  with  the  Evangelische  Kirchen-Zeitung, 
and  have  given  Hengstenberg  to  understand  that  he  must 
either  give  it  up  or  be  removed  to  another  University.  He 
preferred  the  latter.  Whether  their  threat  will  be  executed 
remains  to  be  seen.  They  warned  him  that  if  he  appealed 
to  the  Crown  Prince,  who  they  know  is  favorable  to  the 
Zeitung,  he  would  be  lost,  so  says  Ancillon.  In  Weimar  a 
tract  society  has  been  suppressed,  and  the  distributer 
punished  with  a  fine  of  20  Florins.  The  state  of  things 
throughout  the  Herzogthum  Weimar  must  be  deplorable. 
The  superintendent,  Prohr,  in  writing  for  a  person  to  fill  an 
important  vacancy  in  the  Church,  told  his  correspondent  to 
select  a  rationalist,  and  added  "  but  do  let  him  be  of  good 
morals." 


180  BERLIN.  [1828. 

Sunday,  March  joth.  I  was,  this  evening,  at  Madame 
Schonberg's  for  the  last  time,  as  she  is  about  to  leave  Ber- 
lin for  a  while.  The  company  was  larger  than  usual.  Goss- 
ner  preached  in  his  peculiar  way  from  Matt.  27 :  I.  He 
said,  as  the  enemies  of  Christ  rose  early  to  plot  His  death, 
should  not  Christians  rise  early  to  take  counsel  with  the 
Holy  Spirit,  how  they  may  serve,  love,  and  honor  Him  ? 
As  they  bound  the  Saviour  with  cords,  so  should  we  bind 
Him  with  faith,  love  and  hope,  to  our  souls.  As  Judas 
betrayed  his  Master  for  gold,  he  begged  us  to  think  how 
often  we  had  sold  Christ,  His  presence,  His  communion, 
for  the  sinful  enjoyments  of  this  world;  and  that  ill-gotten 
wealth  could  do  us  no  good;  that  one  day  we  would  be 
glad  to  throw  it  away.  Judas's  repentance  not  being  joined 
with  faith  availed  him  nothing,  etc.  Prof.  Lancizolle,  who 
was  present,  gave  me  an  interesting  account  of  the  course 
of  instruction  for  confirmation  which  he  had  received  from 
Von  Ancillon,  then  a  pastor  in  the  French  Church.  He 
said  it  was  not  until  the  last  week  that  he  was  told  there 
was  such  a  book  as  the  Scriptures.  All  the  previous 
instruction  was  about  sun,  moon,  stars  and  all  other  points 
than  those  relating  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel.  It  is  in 
this  way  that  the  good  effects  of  the  method  of  instruction 
are  lost. 

Marc  It  Jist.  There  was  a  review  to-day  of  the  whole 
Guard  in  garrison  in  Berlin.  The  King  conducted  the 
review,  attended  by  all  the  higher  officers,  his  sons,  etc. 
Through  the  kindness  of  Lieutenant  Von  Senfft  I  obtained 
an  excellent  place  on  the  Zeughaus  for  viewing  this  display 
of  the  flower  of  the  Prussian  army.  There  were  10,000 
men,  cuirassiers,  lancers,  dragoons,  infantry,  horse  and  foot 
artillery.  The  Prussians  think  their  own  army  the  finest  in 
the  world,  and  I  should  think  it  ought  to  be  from  the 
amount  of  attention  devoted  to  it. 

April  ist.  I  dined  to-day  at  Madame  Schonberg's  in 
company  with  the  Graf  Lippe,  his  wife  and  daughter,  a 


^ET.  30.]  BERLIN.  l8l 

Polish  Hauptman  Gauratcki,  and  another  Graf,  whose  name 
I  do  not  know.  This  Graf  Lippe  is  from  Cleves.  His  lady 
takes  a  great  interest  in  missions,  inquired  of  the  state  of 
religion  in  America,  and  spoke  of  Mrs.  Judson's  letters,  etc. 
Almost  everywhere  the  indications  of  the  spread  of  religion 
among  all  ranks  in  this  place,  are  to  be  seen.  Strauss  said, 
some  days  since,  that  it  was  seldom  he  had  an  hour  to 
himself  before  night,  since  he  was  so  constantly  occupied 
by  persons  calling  to  see  him  to  converse  on  the  state  of 
their  souls  and  ask  his  counsels. 

Friday,  April  4-th.  This  was  Good  Friday.  I  attended 
Church  in  the  morning  and  went  to  the  communion.  Lisco 
preached,  as  usual,  with  much  simplicity  and  feeling.  It 
gave  me  pleasure  to  find  by  my  side,  at  the  communion 
table,  the  dear  Neander;  for  whose  character  I  have  con- 
ceived the  greatest  reverence. 

Sunday,  6th.  In  the  morning  I  was  at  Church ;  in 
the  evening  with  Neander.  He  showed  me  several  pass- 
ages from  the  letters  of  Jacobi,  in  which  he  speaks  of  the 
folly  and  extremity  to  which  the  German  philosophers  per- 
mit themselves  to  be  led  away  in  their  speculations.  He 
expressed  the  greatest  abhorrence  of  the  spirit  at  present 
prevailing  .  among  this  class  of  men ;  this  making  them- 
selves God,  or  reducing  God  to  an  idea  (BegrifT) — so  that 
Hegel  says  that  Nichts  ist  die  allerhochste  Realitat.  I  asked 
Neander  if  he  did  not  think  that  something  of  the  spirit  or 
principles  of  the  Pantheistical  system  had  passed  over  into 
the  evangelical  writings  of  the  present  day  in  Germany, 
and  said  that  the  idea  that  alles  Seyn  ist  das  Seyn  Gottes 
seemed  to  me  of  this  character.  He  said,  "  By  no  means — 
all  that  was  meant  by  that  phrase  is  that  God  is  the  only 
real  independent  substance,  and  that  all  other  existences 
are  grounded  in  a  mysterious  way  in  Him.'  This,  he  said, 
was  contained  in  the  idea  of  the  omnipresence  of  God,  and 
in  the  declaration  of  Paul  that  "  in  Him  we  live,  and  move, 
and  have  our  being  " — and  that  l£  ou  xat  di  bu  are  all  things. 


1 82  BERLIN.  [1828. 

The  ec  ov,  he  said,  means  something  more  than. merely 
efficient  cause.  I  asked  him,  then,  in  what  relation  our 
efficiency  stood  to  that  of  God  ?  He  replied,  that  in  all 
good  we  were  merely  the  organs  of  God,  and  that  sin  only 
broke  off  this  relation.  I  said,  this  coincided  with  the  idea 
of  the  older  theologians  as  to  the  concur sus  Dei  in  all  our 
acts.  He  replied — "  Yes,  I  think  they  were  perfectly  right 
on  this  point." 

In  coming  away,  the  dear  man  pressed  my  hand  very 
kindly,  and  said,  "  I  think  we  can  agree."  He  seems  to 
think  that  if  he  debates  with  any  one,  or  differs  from  him, 
he  does  him  a  wrong,  and  is  uneasy  until  the  feeling  of 
perfect  peace  is  restored. 

A  few  days  before  this  I  had  a  conversation  with  the 
Gerlachs  on  the  Personalitat  der  Menschheit.  They  main- 
tained that  the  race  of  man  was  a  whole,  as  a  tree  is  a 
whole.  No  one  stands  for  himself;  so  that  the  race  is  not 
a  collection  of  individuals  as  an  army  is,  but  of  the  consti- 
tuent parts  of  one  great  whole.  It  is  on  this  idea  they  ex- 
plain the  idea  of  original  sin.  The  whole  race  was  then  in 
Adam,  as  completely  and  as  really  as  an  oak  is  in  an  acorn. 
It  was  not  Adam  as  an  individual,  but  Adam  as  the  human 
race  who  sinned.  To  the  question,  "Are  we  conscious  of 
having  personally  participated  in  the  sin  of  Adam  ?  "  They 
replied,  "That  very  question  is  founded  on  a  false  view.  It 
is  not  /,  as  an  individual,  that  there  sinned ;  it  is  not  a 
matter  for  my  consciousness,  but  for  the  consciousness  of 
the  Menschheit  (humanity)." 

Thursday,  April  8th.  This  evening  the  Lieutenant  von 
Senfft  called  for  me,  and  we  went  to  drink  tea  with  the 
Geheimrath  and  Professor  Schmalz.  There  is  here  a  large 
family  of  daughters,  who,  with  their  mother,  are  pious. 
There  were  two  or  three  other  gentlemen  present.  Otto 
von  Gerlach,  who  is  much  of  a  musician,  took  his  seat  at 
the  piano,  and  the  company  sang  various  parts  of  an 
oratorio  by  Gans,  the  death  of  Christ,  which  is  always  per- 


^ET.  30.]  BERLIN.  183 

formed  here  on  Charfreitag — also  parts  of  Handel's  Mes- 
siah and  of  his  Judas  Maccabeus.  They  sang,  also,  one 
piece  from  an  old  German  composer,  Bach,  whose  works 
have  long  been  neglected,  but  which  they  say  are  equal  to 
almost  any  of  the  best  German  compositions. 

Friday,  April  nth.  This  morning  I  rode  out  in  com- 
pany with  Messrs.  Amory  and  Cunningham,  to  see  the 
prison,  at  Spandau.  The  Inspector  went  round  with  us 
and  showed  us  everything.  There  are  here  five  hundred 
prisoners,  of  whom  ninety  are  females.  The  greater  part 
of  these  are  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  and 
wool  in  various  shapes.  Those  condemned  to  hard  labor 
turn  the  great  wheel  which  sets  the  machinery  in  motion. 
The  prisoners  are  neatly  dressed.  There  are  thirty-six 
cells  for  solitary  confinement,  for  the  punishment  of  offences 
committed  within  the  prison.  A  young  man  is  considered 
ruined  when  once  sent  to  prison  in  this  part  of  Germany, 
the  corrupting  influence  is  so  great.  The  number  of  crimes 
since  1806  have  increased  amazingly.  Four  thousand  per- 
sons are  arrested  every  year  in  Berlin  alone,  and  of  these 
seventy-five  per  cent,  are  condemned.  The  greater  part  of 
the  female  prisoners  are  in  for  life,  for  murdering  their 
infant  children.  The  proportion  of  murderers  is  astonish- 
ing. The  Inspector  said  that  his  confidential  prisoners 
were  all  murderers,  whose  sentences  had  for  some  reason 
been  exchanged  from  death  to  imprisonment  for  life.  He 
said  he  found  they  were  uniformly  less  hardened  and 
depraved  than  the  thieves  who  came  back  upon  them  half 
a  dozen  times.  There  is  a  Chaplain  for  the  prison  who 
preaches  every  Sunday,  and  visits  the  prisoners  twice  in  the 
week.  They  are  also  supplied  with  Bibles. 

Sunday,  ijth.  .1  heard  Lisco  this  morning  preach  from 
the  words  :  "  I  am  the  light  of  the  world."  In  the  evening 
I  was  at  Neander's.  Dr.  Julius,  a  gentleman  from  Ham- 
burg, was  there.  He  has  been  some  time  in  England,  ex- 
amining their  prisons,  and  is  about  publishing  a  work  on  this 


184  BERLIN.  [1828. 

subject.  Neander,  as  usual,  found  occasion  to  speak  of  the 
danger  arising  from  the  spread  of  Hegel's  philosophy,  which, 
by  making  the  Begriff  God,  deifies  man.  He  showed  me  a 
remarkable  passage  in  Jacobi's  work  on  religion,  in  which 
the  Prophecy  of  Lichtenstein  is  quoted.  This  predicts  that 
the  world  will  become  so  refined  that  it  will  be  as  much 
unfashionable  to  believe  in  God  as  in  a  spectre,  and  that  men 
will  go  still  further,  and  make  themselves,  and  God,  and  the 
universe  but  a  spectre.  This,  he  says,  is  wonderfully  ac- 
complished by  Hegel's  system,  which  makes  God  but  an 
idea — nullity  the  origin  of  everything — and  the  universe  a 
mere  phantom.  Neander  thinks  that  Schleiermacher's 
change  of  opinion,  as  exhibited  in  the  difference  between  his 
Reden  iiber  die  Religion  and  his  Dogmatik,  has  arisen  from 
his  approaching  nearer  4o  Christianity — the  main  point  of 
difference  is,  that  in  the  latter  he  appears  to  admit  the  per- 
sonal existence  of  the  soul  after  death.  He  spoke  also  of 
the  wonderful  contrast  between  the  practical  common  sense 
of  the  English,  and  the  speculative  spirit  of  the  Germans, 
and  he  again  referred  to  the  passage  in  Jacobi,  in  which  he 
says,  that  the  Germans  must  always  have  a  golden  calf  to  go 
before  them,  and  an  Aaron  to  offer  sacrifice — but  that  they 
are  always  willing  to  see  the  calf  destroyed  and  reduced  to 
powder,  provided  this  be  not  done  by  a  Moses,  but  by 
another  Aaron,  who  will  make  them  another  calf.  Thus  is 
it  with  their  philosophical  systems.  The  system  of  Hegel 
has  become  a  matter  of  ridicule  in  the  little,  low  papers 
which  appear  here  in  Berlin.  One  man  is  made  to  ask  his 
neighbor,  Weisst  du  wohl  dass  du  gar  nicht  existirst  ?  Wie 
so  denn — Weil  alles  was  ist,  ist  vernunftig — du  bist  unver- 
nimftig — daher  existirst  du  nicht. 

Tuesday,  i$th.  I  went  on  Saturday  last,  with  Messrs. 
Amory  and  Cunningham,  to  visit  the  Gewerbs  Institut,  an 
establishment  for  the  education  of  artists  and  mechanics, 
similar,  though  on  a  much  larger  scale,  to  the  Franklin 
Institute  in  Philadelphia.  Lectures  are  delivered  on  Che- 


^T.  30.]  BERLIN.  185 

mistry  and  the  various  branches  of  natural  philosophy,  and 
the  students  have  regular  instruction  in  drawing,  modeling, 
etc.  They  also  work  in  the  preparation  of  all  kinds  of  ma- 
chinery, make  casts,  original  and  copied.  The  institution 
is  furnished  with  models  of  the  best  English,  French,  and 
American  machines.  There  is  a  young  American  here  em- 
ployed by  the  Prussian  Government  to  erect  and  superin- 
tend various  spinning  and  weaving  machines.  He  was 
raised  in  the  Brandywine  factories,  near  Baltimore,  and 
seems  to  give  great  satisfaction.  The  American  machines 
have  displaced  the  English,  and  every  year  there  is  a  com- 
plaint that  one  expensive  machine  is  rendered  useless  by 
the  Yankees  inventing  a  better.  A  spinning  machine,  es- 
tablished in  Spandau,  a  year  since  thought  to  be  the  best 
possible,  is  put  into  the  background  by  one  just  received  by 
the  Government ;  the  production  of  the  latter  to  the  former 
being  as  eleven  to  five. 

Wednesday,  i6th.  Spent  the  evening  with  Justice  Focke, 
and  Ludwig  and  Otto  von  Gerlach.  John  10 — 

Saturday,  iqth.  Visited  Potsdam  in  company  with 
Messrs.  Amory,  Cunningham,  and  Mr.  Lowell,  an  intelli- 
gent and  interesting  young  man  from  Boston.'  The  day 
was  fine  and  our  ride  agreeable,  although  the  country  is 
remarkably  uninteresting  until  you  reach  the  neighborhood 
of  Potsdam,  where  the  dull,  barren,  sandy  wastes  are  ren- 
dered somewhat  susceptible  of  cultivation  by  the  numerous 
lakes  of  the  Havel.  When  we  entered  Potsdam  the  cavalry 
regiment  of  the  Guard  were  parading  with  their  fine  music 
in  the  garden  of  the  palace.  We  went  first  to  visit  the 
palace  of  Sans  Souci  and  its  grounds.  The  latter  are  beau- 
tifully laid  out  and  ornamented.  Before  the  time  of  Frede- 
rick the  whole  was  a  barren  waste  of  sand.  Sans  Souci 
stands  on  the  top  of  a  hillock,  the  south  side  of  which  is 
covered  its  whole  length  with  hot-houses,  from  top  to  bot- 
tom. The  palace  was  built  after  the  Seven  Years'  War,  and 
is  only  one  story  high.  It  consists  of  the  main  building, 


1 86  POTSDAM.  [1828. 

and  two  wings  separated  at  some  distance  from  it,  and  one 
of  them  on  much  lower  ground.  The  east  wing  contains 
the  picture  gallery.  The  Hall  is  splendid,  made  entirely  of 
Italian  marble.  The  pictures  are  of  the  Flemish  and  Ita- 
lian schools.  These  are  twenty-seven  by  Rubens,  all  hor- 
rible. The  most  celebrated  are  a  Vertumnus  and  Pomona, 
by  L.  da  Vinci ;  a  Sleeping  Venus,  by  Titian ;  two  or  three 
by  Raphael,  the  most  distinguished  being  an  Ecce  Homo, 
which  is  by  far  the  most  affecting  picture  in  the  whole  col- 
lection. In  the  palace  of  Sans  Souci  itself  there  is  nothing 
very  interesting,  excepting  the  rooms  of  Frederick  as  he 
left  them.  Voltaire's  room,  his  bed  and  table,  are  still  in 
statu  quo.  It  made  me  almost  sick  to  look  around  me. 
For  of  all  men  who  ever  lived  he  most  excites  my  bad  feel- 
ings. From  this  we  walked  through  the  gardens  to  the 
new  palace — another  piece  of  Frederick's  enormous  extrava- 
gance— it  is  conjectured  to  have  cost  11,000,000  Prussian 
dollars.  Nobody  ever  used  it.  It  is  the  Versailles  of 
Prussia.  In  returning,  we  stopped  at  the  Church  where 
Frederick  and  his  father  are  buried.  Under  the  pulpit 
there  is  a  recess  in  which  their  coffins  lie  on  a  marble  floor. 
To  stand  near  the  ashes  of  a  man  who  had  acted  so  con- 
spicuous a  part  during  his  life,  and  contrast  the  gloomy 
little  receptacle  of  his  body  with  his  gorgeous  palaces  was 
well  adapted  to  produce  a  deep  impression  of  the  emptiness 
of  worldly  glory.  Tuesday,  April  2pth,  I  visited,  with  Jus- 
tice Focke  and  a  few  other  friends,  the  Kunst  Cabinet  in  the 
palace.  The  collection  is  neither  very  large  nor  remarka- 
ble. The  king  has  caused  to  be  prepared  a  wax  figure  of 
Frederick  I.  which  is  said  to  be  a  most  striking  likeness. 
The  face  is  formed  after  a  cast  taken  immediately  after 
death.  The  clothing  is  such  as  he  wore,  and  the  sword  is 
the  one  which  hung  by  his  side  during  the  seven  years' 
war.  The  insignia  of  the  various  orders,  and  hat  worn  by 
Napoleon  and  taken  at  the  Battle  of  Waterloo  are  here 
preserved. 


^ET.  30.]  BERLIN.  187 

In  the  evening  some  of  my  friends  came  to  drink  tea  with 
me  and  bid  me  farewell  for  ever  in  this  world,  humanly  speak- 
ing. Otto  Von  Gerlach  sang  a  hymn  and  his  brother  Lud- 
wig  prayed  before  we  separated.  They  were  kind  enough 
to  present  me  with  a  German  Stamm-Buch,  i.  e.,  a  book  in 
which  friends  inscribe  their  names  under  the  date  of  their 
birth,  together  with  some  sentence  or  verse  expressive  of 
kind  feeling  or  important  truth.  That  written  by  Neander 
is  beautiful.  I  happened  the  other  day  to  be  sitting  in  his 
study,  when  the  messenger  handed  this  book  to  him,  then 
altogether  unknown  by  me.  Neander  quietly  and  rapidly 
wrote  his  sentence  and  returned  it  to  the  messenger  without 
remark. 


"  Let  us  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  in  which  Christ  has 
made  us  free  ;  whom  alone  to  serve  is  a  glory  and  a  joy  ;  and 
let  us  not  become  slaves  of  men  or  of  any  other  creature, 
To  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  to  be  nothing  in  one's  self;  in  the 
Lord  all  things."  A.  NEANDER. 


1 88  LEA  VES  BERLIN.  [1828. 

Wednesday,  ^oth.  I  remained  at  home.  Justice  Focke 
Tippleskirch,  G.  von  der  Recke,  and  Cunningham,  came  to 
see  me  in  the  course  of  the  day.  I  left  Berlin,  taking  my  last 
farewell  of  Von  Senfft  and  Dorfs  at  the  Post-office.  I  did 
not  expect  to"  have  my  heart  so  interested  by  a  stay  of  six 
months  in  any  place.  The  kindness,  the  Christian  love,  the 
warm-hearted  conduct  of  those  with  whom  I  have  passed 
this  winter  so  happily,  will  remain  deeply  impressed  on  my 
heart  as  long  as  I  live.  When  I  bid  my  friends  farewell 
I  cried  like  a  child.  Neander's  farewell  I  shall  never 
forget. 

May  i st.  I  arrived  in  Halle  about  12  o'clock.  The 
evening  I  spent  with  Mr.  Robinson  at  the  Staatrathin  Von 
Jacob's. 

Tholuck  had  gone  to  Rome  for  a  season,  and  Mr.  Hodge 
saw  his  friend  no  more.  A  little  while  before,  while  Mr. 
Hodge  was  at  Berlin,  Tholuck,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure 
for  Rome,  addressed  him  the  following  letter.  (The  original 
in  English). 

HALLE,  April,  1828. 

My  Dear  Hodge : — You  will  have  been  greatly  astonished 

as  many  have  at  my  resolution  to  spend  this  year  in  Rome.  There 
is  certainly  a  number  of  circumstances  that  make  it  a  scrupulous 
matter,  but  the  opportunity  was  so  very  favorable,  and  some  acci- 
dents encouraged  it  so  much,  that  I  could  not  resist  any  longer. 
A  pious  Professor  will  supply  my  place  this  year,  and  according  to 
all  probability  remain  my  colleague.  This  is  the  most  important 
fruit  of  the  plan  with  respect  to  Halle. 

As  to  my  state  here,  I  must  thank  God  that,  since  my  complaints 
have  lessened,  I  feel  like  new-born.  I  feel,  of  course,  the  burden  of 
a  lonely,  friendless  life.  I  feel  particularly  the  tediousness  of  contin- 
ual dogmatical  researches  and  disputations,  which  are  so  very  sel- 
dom interrupted  by  other  occupations  and  distractions;  but  being 
more  delivered  than  I  was  when  you  were  here  from  the  constant 
aggression,  I  can  find  access  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  can  be  satis- 
fied with  God's  ways 

I  am  sure  that  I  shall  not  only  enjoy  much  at  Rome,  but  that  I 
shall  be  of  use  also  as  well  to  Bunsen  as  to  the  congregation.  I  shall 


^ET.  30. ]  LE  TTERS  FR  OM  THOL  UCK.  189 

draw  much  profit  myself,  I  hope,  from  being  employed  practically  in 

the  gospel 

I  cannot  express  what  I  feel  at  the  idea  of  my  not  seeing  you  again. 
You  have  been  sent  to  me  through  God's  mercy  as  a  messenger  of 
glad  tidings,  as  a  C9mforter  in  cheerless  hours,  as  an  elder  brother 
to  show  me  the  simple  way  to  heaven.  I  owe  you  very  much,  or 
more  properly  I  have  reason  to  be  most  thankful  to  God  for  what  He 
has  bestowed  upon  me  by  your  means.  And  never !  never !  on  this 
side  of  the  grave  shall  I  see  you  again.  My  eyes  run  with  tears ! 
Dear  friend,  do  not  forget  me ;  do  not  forget  to  pray  for  me.  .  .  . 
I  am  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord, 

Yours  most  cordially,        A.  THOLUCK. 

Remember  me  most  cordially  to  our  dear  Monod. 

Again  he  wrote  from  near  Rome,  at  the  time  that  Mr. 
Hodge  was  on  the  eve  of  embarking  from  Liverpool,  and 
believing  that  he  was  already  at  home,  Tholuck  addressed 
the  letter  to  Princeton.  (The  original  in  English.) 

FRASCATI,  July  30,  1828. 

My  Dear  and  Beloved  Friend  and  Brother  in  Christ : — You  are 
now,  I  am  sure,  safely  brought  to  your  dear  home,  and  sit  cheerfully 
smiling  among  wife  and  children,  thankful  for  all  the  great  mercies 
of  our  Lord.  And  here  I  sit,  too,  among  dear  children  (although  not 
my  own)  in  happy  Italy,  thankful  for  the  mercies  of  my  Lord,  where 
I  can  rest  a  little  from  all  the  afflictions  and  tribulations  of  past  years. 
...  I  found  myself  well,  better  than  in  Halle,  and  soon  became  de- 
lighted with  the  enjoyments  which  the  family  circle  of  Bunsen  and 
he  himself  offered  to  me.  He  has  six  amiable  children,  a  most  re- 
spectable wife,  and  him  I  found  a  thorough  and  sincere  follower  of 
Christ.  My  pastoral  duty  also  gave  me  much  pleasure,  having  an  au- 
dience before  me  in  which  the  simple  gospel  tidings  met  with  a  ready 
reception.  Since  the  first  of  July  (the  heat  in  Rome  getting  more  and 
more  intense),  we  removed  to  the  country,  where  I  now  reside  with 
the  family  in  a  beautiful  villa  surrounded  with  the  Sabinian  and  Al- 
banian mountains,  having  Mons  Soracte  in  the  face,  and  in  a  dis- 
tance at  the  right  side  the  seterna  Roma,  at  the  left  the  borders  of  the 
sea.  One  day  passes  swiftly  away  after  the  others,  under  useful  and 
edifying  conversation.  The  morning  begins  with  family  prayer  and 
hymns  sung  by  the  boys.  The  day  closes  again  with  singing  hymns. 
Neither  philosophical  nor  critical  doubts  trouble  the  mind  where  it 
daily  experiences  the  sweet  comfort  of  Christian  communion.  Like 


1 90  G  OE  TTINGEN.  [1828. 

a  dreary  waste  my  life  in  Halle  lies  behind  me.  I  was  sick  all  the 
days  I  lived  there — sick  in  body  and  sick  in  mind.  Oh !  what  pa- 
tience have  you  then  had  with  me !  I  hope  you  would  find  me  now 
another  man.  But  blessed  be  my  Saviour  who  sent  you  then  to  my 
great  consolation  and  comfort.  You  see  then,  dear  Hodge,  that  I 
may  justly  call  this,  my  present  abode,  a  place  of  rest.  When  the 
disciples  returned  from  their  missionary  tour,  the  Saviour  told  them : 
avairaveade  b^iyov.  This  I  do  now,  but  only  6/Uyov.  By  no  means  I 
shall  protract  this  absence  from  Halle. 

Much  is  hoped  from  Bunsen's  future  career.  He  is  decided  to 
leave  soon  his  present  situation  and  to  occupy  an  important  one  in 
the  ecclesiastical  department  of  the  Ministerium.  He  now  studies 
Hebrew  very  hard.  I  read  the  Psalms  with  him.  He  is  a  little  too 
averse  to  Republican  States,  and  consequently  to  your  happy 
country.  Believe  me,  my  dear  brother, 

Your  true  friend  in  Christ,        A.  THOLUCK. 

ON  HIS  WAY  HOME,  VIA  GERMANY,  SWITZERLAND,  FRANCE 
AND  ENGLAND. 

Journal. — On  the  morning  of  the  jd  May,  I  left  Halle 
for  Goettingen.  I  dined  at  Eisleben,  where  Luther  was 
born.  The  room  in  which  this  event  occurred  is  a  school- 
room. In  another  apartment  are  preserved  many  relics 
of  the  Reformer ;  such  as  his  table,  desk,  letters,  &c.  The 
country  from  Halle  to  Nordhausen  is  much  more  varied 
than  any  part  of  North  Germany  I  had  yet  seen.  From 
Heiligenstadt  to  Goettingen,  the  first  part  of  the  road  is 
very  interesting,  hilly  and  abounding  in  trees.  I  arrived  in 
Goettingen  about  eleven,  and  stopped  at  the  crown  tavern. 
In  the  morning  Mr.  Wm.  Amory  called  to  see  me.  We 
walked  together  round  the  town,  and  found  the  public 
promenade  very  pleasant.  Goettingen  itself  has  little  to 
recommend  it  in  externals.  In  the  afternoon  we  visited  the 
museum  and  attended  the  lecture  of  Blumenbach.  It  is 
impossible  to  give  any  idea  of  the  manner  of  this  extra- 
ordinary man.  One  would  suppose  he  was  desirous  of 
showing  the  capability  of  the  human  face  of  assuming 
queer  forms.  He  talks  with  as  much  unconcern  as  in  his 


^T.  30.]  G  GETTING 'EN.  1 91 

study.  We  called  to  see  him  the  next  morning.  He  re- 
ceived us  very  kindly,  showed  us  his  collection  of  skulls, 
and  begged  us  to  try  and  get  him  from  America  various 
articles  he  yet  needs  to  complete  his  collection.  He  spoke 
very  favorably  of  many  Americans  he  had  known.  Al- 
though about  eighty  years  of  age,  he  has  all  the  vivacity 
and  interest  in  all  persons,  and  things  he  has  anything  to 
do  with,  as  though  he  were  in  the  prime  of  youth.  I 
called  on  Prof.  Lucke  with  the  letter  of  Dr.  Neander.  He 
appears  to  be  about  thirty-five,  an  amiable  and  friendly  man. 
He  was  kind  enough  to  call  on  me  at  four  o'clock  and 
take  me  to  see  several  of  the  other  theological  professors. 
We  first  called  on  the  elder  Planck,  a  man  apparently  be- 
tween seventy  and  eighty.  He  had  such  an  asthmatic  affec- 
tion that  it  appeared  difficult  for  him  to  converse.  We 
then  called  on  Prof.  Pott,  a  man  of  about  fifty.  He  talked 
chiefly  about  books,  and  the  great  library,  the  pride  and 
pillar  of  the  university.  We  called  also  upon  Prof.  Hem- 
sen.  The  decided  manner  in  which  he  came  out  in  the 
late  difficulties,  respecting  the  missionary  society,  has  gained 
him  the  confidence  of  all  Christians.  He  and  Lucke  both 
spoke  very  warmly  against  the  Berlin  philosophical  school. 
Lticke  appears  to  be  a  great  friend  of  Schleiermacher,  al- 
though reckoned  as  belonging  to  the  orthodox  party,  and 
not  a  little  abused  by  the  opposers  of  the  present  struggle 
for  life  in  Germany.  He  said  that  he  had  little  difficulty  in 
this  place ;  that  the  professors  treat  him  kindly,  and  his  au- 
ditorium is  well  filled.  On  the  evening  of  May  6th,  I 
drank  tea  with  the  two  Messrs.  Amory,  and  met  several  pro- 
fessors and  teachers  of  the  university.  I  had  a  long  talk 
with  Prof.  Reiche  on  Mysticisms.  He  is  a  most  decided 
Rationalist,  yet  without  that  bitter  hatred  to  the  truth  and 
its  advocates  which  so  strongly  characterizes  most  of  his 
school.  It  is  as  clear  as  day  that  the  most  intolerant  and 
bitter  spirit  rankles  in  the  bosom  of  many  who  have  made 
the  greatest  advances  in  the  Aufklarung  of  the  times.  I 


1 9  2  GOE  TTINGEN.  [1828. 

visited  the  library  and  saw  Prof.  Beneke,  to  whom  Prof. 
Patton  had  given  me  a  letter.  He  spoke  of  Patton  with 
affection,  and  it  is  pleasant  to  find  how  universally  the 
Americans,  who  have  been  to  Goettingen,  are  remembered 
with  respect  and  affection.  I  called  also  to  see  Prof.  Ewald, 
whom  I  regard  as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  I  have 
seen  in  Europe.  He  is  about  twenty-four,  looks  much 
younger,  is  modest  in  his  manner  even  to  bashfulness,  al- 
though confident  even  to  arrogance,  in  his  writings.  He 
has  more  hearers  than  any  other  Professor  who  reads  on 
theological  subjects.  He  expressed  his  hope  of  being  soon 
able  to  find  time  to  write  a  Syriac  Grammar.  Hoffman, 
he  says,  has  made  no  new  step,  has  been  diligent,  but  that 
is  all.  He  regrets  the  opinions  of  Vater,  Eichhorn,  &c.,  on 
the  Pentateuch ;  makes  it  with  the  exception  of  Deutero- 
nomy very  old.  Job  he  sets  between  seven  and  eight  hun- 
dred years  B.  c.  The  present  prologue  is,  he  thinks,  spurious. 
The  latter  part  of  Isaiah  he  rejects.  We  went  afterwards 
to  meet  Mrs.  Goeschen,  a  lady  whom  I  had  met  nearly  a 
year  ago  at  her  son-in-law,  Westermeier's.  We  drank  tea 
with  Blumenbach.  Mrs.  Goeschen  and  family  were  there. 
The  old  gentleman  talked  a  great  deal  of  our  Indians,  for 
whom  he  seemed  to  have  a  great  liking.  His  wife  is 
mother  general  of  the  Americans,  whom  she  praised  to  the 
skies.  The  last  thing  she  said  to  me  was,  "Send  us  plenty 
of  Americans."  Prof.  Hemsen  was  kind  enough  to  come 
and  sit  half  an  hour  with  me  this  afternoon.  He  gave  no 
very  encouraging  account  of  the  prospect  of  doing  much 
good  to  students  at  present.  No  missionary-society,  after 
all,  had  been  formed.  No  prayer-meetings  were  allowed. 
All  that  had  been  gained  in  the  late  struggle  was  that  a 
missions  stunde  was  held,  in  which  the  missionary  journals 
were  read.  He  presented  me  in  the  name  of  Prof.  Pott, 
with  the  first  part  of  the  commentary  on  Corinthians,  an 
attention  on  the  part  of  Dr.  Pott  I  had  no  ground  to  ex- 
pect. I  supped  at  Prof.  Lucke's,  but  was  obliged  to  come 


JET.  30.]  WUPPER TIfAL.  1 93 

away  early,  in  order  to  meet  the  stage  passing  from  Han- 
over to  Cassel. 

The  8th  and  qth  of  May,  I  passed  in  Cassel.  The  new 
part  of  this  city  is  very  beautiful.  The  old  part  is  not  re- 
markable. The  gardens  and  walks  round  the  town  are  the 
finest  I  have  seen  in  Germany. 

At  5  o'clock  I  left  Cassel.  The  country  from  this  to  the 
Rhine  is  generally  varied,  and  fertile,  and  beautiful.  The 
dominions  of  the  Elector  of  Hesse  Cassel  are  marked  by  a 
degree  of  poverty  I  cannot  account  for.  The  villages  are 
the  most  miserable,  and  the  people  more  ragged-looking 
than  any  I  had  elsewhere  seen  in  Germany.  The  aspect  of 
things  change  for  the  better  as  soon  as  you  enter  the  pos- 
sessions of  Prussia.  As  soon  as  the  Wupperthal  (the 
valley  of  the  Wupper,  a  short  but  copious  stream  entering 
the  Rhine  on  the  eastern  side,  about  fifty  miles  below 
Cologne)  commences,  a  scene  is  opened  which  could  not 
have  been  expected  in  Germany.  The  poverty  which  every- 
where else  characterizes  the  peasantry,  here  disappears. 
Well-built  houses,  tasteful  gardens,  and  a  general  appear- 
ance of  refinement  and  comfort  everywhere  meet  the  eye. 
The  entire  valley,  of  which  Elberfeld  is  the  centre,  is  almost 
a  continual  village,  filled  with  manufactories  of  every  kind, 
so  that  the  traveller  feels  as  if  he  were  suddenly  transported 
to  England.  Elberfeld  contains  about  twenty-two  thousand 
inhabitants,  and  is  probably  the  richest  place  of  its  size  in 
Germany. 

These  Rhine  provinces  of  Prussia  have  much  that  is 
peculiar  and  interesting  in  their  ecclesiastical  arrangements. 
They  formerly  had,  under  a  Catholic  Prince,  their  own 
Presbyterian  form  of  Government.  This,  however,  has  been 
much  weakened  since  they  were  brought  under  the  domin- 
ion of  Prussia.  Each  Circle  has  its  Presbyterium,  consist- 
ing of  the  pastors  of  one  or  two  elders  for  each  congregation, 
and  each  Province  has  its  Synod.  But  the  actual  govern- 
ment of  the  Church  is  taken,  for  the  most  part,  out  of  the 
13 


KRUMMACHER.  [1828. 

hands  of  the  Presbyteria  and  Synods,  and  given  to  the 
Consistoria,  as  elsewhere  in  Prussia.  The  Consistoria 
examine  candidates,  and  alone  can  depose  a  pastor,  and  that 
only  by  reporting  to  the  Ministerium  in  Berlin,  from  whom 
the  act  of  deposition  must  proceed.  The  changes  which 
have  recently  occurred,  have  principally  been  brought  about 
through  the  influence  of  the  clergy.  The  Rationalists  in 
this  part  of  the  country  are  said  to  be  favorable  to  the 
Consistorial  form  of  ecclesiastical  administration,  as  it 
brings  them  more  in  connection  with  the  state,  and  gives 
them  more  worldly  power.  The  congregations,  however, 
have  retained  the  right  of  electing  their  own  pastors,  and 
hopes  are  entertained  that  the  powers  and  rights  of  the 
Presbyteries  will  be  restored. 

I  heard  the  pastor  Krummacher  preach  in  the  morning. 
The  Church  was  large  and  crowded.  The  people  seemed 
mostly  of  the  poorer  class,  although,  I  am  told,  that  the 
richer  part  of  the  population  are  remarkably  regular  in 
their  attendance  on  Church.  The  sermon  was  peculiar. 
The  subject  was  the  rainbow,  which  he  made,  first  a  sacra- 
ment, and  then  considered  as  a  type  of  the  Church.  The 
points  of  resemblance  were  five ;  origin,  color,  form,  posi- 
tion, and .  This  was  carried  through  with  a  good 

deal  of  taste  and  talent,  but  the  whole  discourse  wanted  that 
authority  and  power  which  belong  alone  to  truths  obviously 
contained  in  the  word  of  God.  I  called  to  see  the  Pastor 
Wichelhaus,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter.  He  received  me 
kindly,  and  gave  me  the  information  concerning  the  eccle- 
siastical government  of  these  provinces  I  have  recorded 
above.  He  also  informed  me  that  in  the  Wupperthal, 
during  the  prevalence  of  infidelity  all  over  Germany, 
orthodoxy  still  retained  its  place,  and  the  spirit  of  piety, 
although  for  a  time  depressed,  never  lost  its  hold  on  the 
people.  All  the  preachers  in  this  neighborhood  are  con- 
sidered orthodox  and  pious.  In  the  present  state  of  lively 
religious  feeling  here,  there  are  two  dangers  which  struck 


-ST.  30.]  DUSSELDORF. 

me  as  threatening  to  disturb  the  beauty  of  this  part  of  God's 
vineyard.  The  first  is  a  tendency  among  some  few  of  the 
preachers  to  antinomian  principles.  The  other  is  the  ex- 
travagant allegorical  interpretation  of  the  Old  Testament. 
In  the  evening  I  visited  the  Superintendent  Snecklager, 
where  I  met  four  or  five  other  preachers  from  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  a  Mr.  Le  Grand  from  Basle. 

Tuesday,  May  ijth.  I  left  Elberfeld  at  six  o'clock  for 
Dusseldorf,  distant  about  fifteen  miles.  It  contains  about 
sixteen  thousand  inhabitants,  a  majority  of  whom  are 
Catholics.  The  country  in  this  neighborhood  is  perfectly 
flat  on  both  sides  of  the  Rhine,  and  continues  so  until 
Bonn.  In  the  afternoon  I  walked  out  to  Dusselthal,  the 
institution  of  Count  von  der  Recke.  This  was  originally  a 
cloister,  surrounded  by  a  brick  wall,  and  including  thirty- 
six  acres  of  land.  There  are  now  a  large  dwelling-house, 
a  brewery,  oil  and  flour  mills,  a  long  house,  including  car- 
penter's and  smith's  shops,  &c.  The  Count  has  now  eighty 
boys  and  fifty  girls,  all  poor  protestant  children,  with  the 
exception  of  two  Jewish  children.  He  told  me  that  all  his 
long-continued  efforts  to  do  something  good  for  the  Jews 
had  proved  ineffectual.  They  had  all  proved  themselves  to 
be  actuated  by  such  selfish  and  worldly  motives  that  he  was 
unable  to  say  that  he  regarded  one  of  all  those  under  his 
care  from  the  commencement  of  the  institution  a  sincere 
Christian.  The  amazing  pride  they  always  manifested 
made  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  get  along  with  them.  Si- 
mon, he  said,  had  given  him  more  trouble  than  words  could 
well  express.  He  complained  of  the  extravagant  ideas  en- 
tertained by  the  English  Christians  as  to  the  dignity  and 
future  destiny  of  the  Jews,  and  said  he  could  not  find  in  the 
Bible  that  they  were  destined  to  be  the  rulers  of  the  world. 
The  Jewish  inmates  left  in  mass  when  he  made  it  plain  that 
the  attraction  he  offered  them  was  religious  instruction  and 
not  worldly  gain.  The  Count  has  the  entire  expense  of  the 
support  of  the  institution  on  his  own  hands.  Voluntary 


196  COLOGNE  AND  BONN.  [1828. 

contributions  from  Christian  friends  amount  to  very  little — 
and  the  product  of  the  labor  of  those  engaged  in  the  various 
industries  is  far  from  being  sufficient.  I  asked  him  what  he 
thought  of  the  plan  of  the  American  Jewish  Society.  He 
said  he  thought  they  were  engaged  in  an  utterly  hopeless 
effort. 

On  the  1 4th,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  left  Dus- 
seldorf  for  Cologne,  where  I  arrived  at  nine  o'clock.  It 
contains  sixty  thousand  inhabitants,  chiefly  Catholic,  twelve 
thousand  beggars,  and  twenty-seven  churches.  The  Cathe- 
dral, commenced  in  A.  D.  1 248,  but  never  finished,  is  the 
most  beautiful  specimen  of  Gothic  architecture  in  Germany. 
It  contains  the  bodies  of  the  wise  men  of  the  East,  and  the 
staff  of  Peter.  St.  Peter's  church  contains  the  famous  pic- 
ture of  the  Crucifixion  of  Peter,  by  Rubens,  and  some  re- 
markable painted  windows.  In  another  church  are  pre- 
served the  bones  of  the  eleven  thousand  virgins.  This  is  a 
hot-bed  of  Catholic  superstitions. 

I  left  Cologne  at  two  o'clock,  and  arrived  at  Bonn  at 
six.  Here  the  mountains  commence  and  the  beautiful 
scenery  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine.  I  soon  met  Mr.  Wool- 
sey,  who  continued  with  me  three  days  in  Bonn,  and  went 
with  me  by  steamboat  to  Coblenz.  I  have  got  to  love  him 
ten  times  more  than  ever.*  I  called  on  Prof.  Nitzsch,  to 
whom  I  had  a  letter  from  Neander.  He  is  a  middle-aged 
man,  rather  melancholy-looking.  I  also  called  on  Prof. 
Sack,  a  very  agreeable  and  affable  man,  and  apparently  a 
friend  of  piety  and  the  truth.  I  heard  Schlegel  lecture,  and 
was  disappointed  in  his  appearance  and  manner.  Freytag 


*  President  Theodore  D.  Woolsey  said  at  Dr.  Hodge's  Semi-Centennial  Com- 
memoration, April  24th,  1872:  "Some  years  after  (I  had  known  him  in  Prince- 
ton Seminary)  I  was  in  Bonn,  and  he  coming  into  (out  of)  Germany,  I  think  in 
1828,  stopped  in  Bonn.  I  saw  him,  and  went  up  the  river  with  him  to  enjoy  his 
society.  Then  he  spoke  to  me  I  may  say — if  permitted  to  speak  of  myself— that 
I  was  in  darkness) — he  spoke  to  me  words  of  cheer,  of  comfort,  of  strength.  I 
do  not  remember  the  words,  but  I  remember  the  impression,  and  that  impression 
will  go  with  me  through  life." 


/ET.30.]  LETTER  TO  HIS  WIFE.  197 

lives  a  mile  or  two  out  of  town,  and  therefore  I  did  not  see 
him.  The  University  of  Bonn  is  not  more  than  ten  years 
old.  Yet  it  has  nearly  one  thousand  students,  of  whom 
from  three  to  four  hundred  are  studying  theology,  about 
two-thirds  being  Catholic.  The  Elector's  palace  and  its 
beautiful  grounds  have  been  appropriated  to  the  service  of 
the  University. 

(Here  the  Journal  ends.) 

PROF.    HODGE   TO    HIS   WIFE. 

SURSEE,  May  28th,  1828. 

^ My  Beloved  Sarah  : — I  have  seen  the  Alps  !  If  now  I  never  see 
any  thing  great  or  beautiful  in  nature,  I  am  content.  I  felt  that  as 
soon  as  I  saw  you,  I  could  fall  at  your  feet  and  beg  you  to  forgive  my 
beholding  such  a  spectacle  without  you,|  my  love.  You  were  dearer 
to  me  in  that  moment  than  ever.  I  left  Basel  about  one  o'clock  with 
a  young  English  gentleman  for  Lucerne.  We  rode  about  fifteen 
miles  and  arrived  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain.  As  the  road  was  steep 
and  difficult,  we  commenced  walking  up  the  mountain  in  company 
with  two  Swiss  gentlemen.  We  ascended  leisurely  for  about  two 
hours  before  we  reached  the  top.  I  was  walking  slowly  with  my 
hands  behind  me,  and  my  eyes  on  the  ground,  expecting  nothing, 
when  one  of  the  Swiss  gentlemen  said  with  infinite  indifference — 
"  Voila  les  Alpes."  I  raised  my  eyes — and  around  me  in  a  grand 
amphitheatre,  high  up  against  the  heavens,  were  the  Alps !  It  was 
some  moments  before  the  false  and  indefinite  conceptions  of  my  life 
were  overcome  by  the  glorious  reality.  The  declining  sun  shed  on 
the  immense  mass  of  mingled  snow  and  forests  the  brightness  of  the 
evening  clouds.  This  was  the  first  moment  of  my  life  in  which  I  felt 
overwhelmed.  Every  thing  I  had  ever  previously  seen  seemed  ab- 
solutely nothing.  The  natural  bridge  in  Virginia  had  surprised  me — 
the  Rhine  had  delighted  me — but  the  first  sudden  view  of  the  Alps 
was  overwhelming.  This  was  a  moment  that  can  never  return  ;  the 
Alps  can  never  be  seen  again  by  surprise,  and  in  ignorance  of  their 
real  appearance. 

Berne,  June  2d.  I  am  now  writing  in  Berne.  After  having  com- 
pleted a  short  tour  among  the  mountains,  we  reached  Lucerne  about 
twelve  on  the  28th  of  May.  We  took  a  hasty  dinner  and  set  out  for 
Mount  Righi,  after  having  procured  mountain  shoes  and  walking 
poles.  We  crossed  Lake  Lucerne,  and  then  commenced  the  ascent 
for  three  hours.  The  sun  was  shining  for  the  first  hour,  which,  with 


198  LETTER  TO  HIS  WIFE.  [1828. 

the  difficulty  of  the  way,  made  it  by  far  the  most  severe  task  I  had 
ever  undertaken.  We  were  obliged  to  lie  down  every  ten  minutes. 
After  the  first  hour  the  ascent  was  not  so  severe.  There  was  a  shower 
of  rain,  and  enough  of  cold  wind.  After  three  hours  and  a  half,  we 
had  accomplished  the  task.  It  was  so  cloudy  and  so  late  that  we 
could  see  little  from  the  summit,  which  is  5,550  feet  above  the  sea. 
We  went  flattering  ourselves  with  being  repaid  by  beholding  the 
rising  sun.  But  we  were  again  disappointed.  There  was  so  dense  a 
fog  that  nothing  could  be  seen.  About  7  o'clock  it  began  to  clear — 
and  then  the  sight  was  splendid.  From  this  point  you  overlook  the 
varied  surface  of  the  north  of  Switzerland.  To  the  right  and  on  the 
left  you  have  a  view  of  the  long,  unbroken  chain  of  lofty  Alps.  Of 
these  we  could  see  but  little,  yet  we  were  amply  repaid  by  the  grand- 
eur of  the  prospect  to  the  right,  and  the  ever  varying  forms  of  the 
clouds  as  they  drove  over  the  plain  below.  We  descended  to  the  lake 
on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain.  The  lake  of  Lucerne  deserves  all 
the  praise  which  has  been  lavished  upctn  it  for  romantic  scenery,  and 
almost  every  spot  on  its  vast  borders  is  rich  in  associations  with  the 
heroic  memories  of  the  deliverance  of  Switzerland.  At  Stanze  my 
English  companion  gave  out.  We  took  a  carriage  to  Sachseln,  where 
we  slept.  The  next  morning  we  rode  to  Lungeren,  and  then,  partly 
on  horseback  and  partly  on  foot,  crossed  the  Brtinig  and  dined  at 
Brienz.  We  were  rowed  over  this  beautiful  lake  in  three  hours,  and 
on  the  evening  of  the  2gth  reached  Unterseen,  which  lies  on  a  plain 
between  the  lakes  of  Brienz  and  Thun.  The  next  morning  I  set  out 
alone  with  the  guide  for  Lauterbrunnen,  distant  about  a  three  hours 
walk.  This  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  valleys  in  Switzerland,  closed 
by  the  Jungfrau,  one  of  the  loftiest  mountains.  It  is  also  famous  for 
the  waterfall  of  the  Staubbach,  which  falls  nearly  perpendicularly  925 
feet.  I  rode  up  the  Wengern  Alp,  which  separates  Lauterbrunnen 
from  Grindelwald,  on  a  mule,  in  four  hours.  On  the  top  we  enjoyed 
two  cloudless  hours  of  surpassing  grandeur.  We  were  within  musket 
shot  of  the  immense  masses  of  rocks  of  the  Jungfrau  and  Eiger,  which 
rose  from  our  level  between  6,000  and  7,000  feet.  This  near  view  of 
these  immense  mountains  of  ice,  rock  and  snow  is  as  overpowering 
as  the  first  distant  view  of  their  grandeur.  We  saw  and  heard  at  least 
twenty  avalanches.  It  was  like  a  long-continued  thunder-storm,  so 
rapidly  did  one  falling  mass  succeed  to  another.  The  mountain  we 
passed  had  still  so  much  snow  that  the  mule  could  proceed  no  further. 
I  therefore  commenced  the  descent  on  the  opposite  side  on  foot.  In 
four  hours  we  reached  Grindelwald,  having  made  a  detour  to  get  to 
one  of  its  famous  glaciers.  What  will  my  wife  and  mother  say  to  my 
lameness — walking  nearly  twenty  miles  and  riding  ten  in  one  day  ? 


^T.  so.]  LETTER  TO  HIS  MOTHER.  199 

But  with  heartfelt  gratitude  I  may  say  it  has  not  injured  me  in  the 
least.  Saturday  was  so  disagreeable  that  I  had  to  relinquish  plans — 
and  so,  returning  to  Unterseen,  a  walk  of  five  hours,  and  dismissing 
there  my  guide,  I  made  the  best  of  my  way  to  Berne. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c.,        CHARLES  HODGE. 

PROF.    HODGE   TO    HIS    MOTHER. 

LONDON,  June  28th,  1828. 

My  Dear  Mother : — From  Geneva  I  made  an  excursion  of 

three  days  to  the  valley  of  Chamouny  to  see  its  celebrated  glaciers 
and  to  get  a  view  of  Mount  Blanc.  Having  seen  in  the  Canton  of 
Berne  scenery  of  the  same  kind,  the  impression  was  by  no  means  so 
strong  as  when  things  at  once  novel  and  sublime  strike  the  sight.  I 
crossed  the  celebrated  sea  of  ice,  an  enterprise  of  much  more  diffi- 
culty than  I  expected,  and  attended  by  a  degree  of  danger  that,  had 
I  been  aware  of  it,  would  have  deterred  me  from  the  attempt.  The 
ice  changes  from  month  to  month  in  these  immense  glaciers,  so  that 
you  are  never  secure  in  finding  it  in  a  good  state,  unless  your  guide 
has  passed  at  that  particular  place  within  a  few  weeks.  These  gla- 
ciers are  immense  bodies  of  snow  and  ice,  and  will  fill  up  the  elevated 
valleys  of  the  mountains.  The  one  called  the  Sea  of  Ice  is  eighteen 
leagues  long,  and  from  one  to  three  miles  broad.  The  surface  is  as 
irregular  as  the  ocean.  What  may  be  called  the  waves  are  ten, 
twenty,  or  fifty  feet  high.  The  difficulty  consists  in  getting  up  and 
down  these  waves,  and  over  the  chasms  which  run  in  all  directions, 
and  are  often  slightly  covered  with  snow.  With  a  careful  guide,  how- 
ever, accidents  are  exceedingly  rare.  Those  which  do  occur  are  ge- 
nerally the  result  of  the  folly  of  young  men  who  disregard  the  advice 
of  their  conductors.  The  guides  in  these  mountains  are  regulated 
just  as  pilots  are  in  the  difficult  harbors  of  maritime  nations.  They 
are  examined,  must  receive  certificates,  and  are  responsible  for  the 
safety  of  all  whom  they  conduct.  I  found  the  excursion  of  this  day — 
walking  nine  hours  under  circumstances  which  required  great  mus- 
cular effort — too  much  for  my  limb.  Otherwise  I  was  scarcely  fa- 
tigued at  all.  Were  it  not  for  that  weakness,  I  should  think  myself 
equal  to  any  amount  of  bodily  fatigue. 

From  Geneva  to  Paris  the  country  is  not  peculiarly  interesting.  At 
Paris  I  felt  myself  almost  at  home.  I  dined  one  day  with  ten  Ameri- 
cans— Dr.  J.  R.  Clark,  Dr.  Hopkinson,  Dr.  Ralston,  Dr.  Cunningham, 
Mr.  Chauncey . 

I  left  Paris  for  London  with  the  dear  good  Mr.  Chauncey,  and  am 
now  settled  with  him  in  good,  comfortable  lodgings. 

Your  son,          C.  H. 


2OO  LETTERS  TO  HIS  WIFE.  [1828. 

PROF.    HODGE   TO    HIS   WIFE. 

LONDON,  27th,  1828. 

My  Dearest  Sarah : — As  Mr.  Chauncey  had  been  by  Calais 

and  Dover,  he  preferred  the  route  by  Dieppe  and  Brighton.  We 
spent  one  day  in  Rouen  to  view  the  old  churches,  &c.  After  a  ride 
of  six  hours  we  found  ourselves  in  Dieppe.  Our  passage  over  the 
Channel  was  not  pleasant — but  in  twelve  hours  after  leaving  Dieppe 
we  were  standing  on  the  chalky  shores  of  old  England.  You  may 
suppose  it  was  with  a  swelling  heart  I  trod  upon  the  soil  of  the  mo- 
ther country,  which,  with  all  her  faults,  is  the  most  wonderful  and 

admirable  the  world  has  ever  seen St.  Paul's  church  is  much 

the  most  sublime  and  striking  of  any  I  have  seen  when  viewed  from 
under  its  immense  dome.  We  attended  last  evening  the  House  of 
Commons.  You  are  aware  that  they  sit  in  a  room  very  much  like  a 
Methodist  meeting-house — that  the  members  wear  their  hats  and 
lounge  about  as  they  please.  I  heard  about  twenty  speak  in  the 
course  of  three  hours,  and  never  heard  so  much  poor  speaking  in  my 
life.  I  have  never  attended  Congress,  and  therefore  can  make  no 
comparison ;  but  I  am  sure  our  General  Assembly  does  not  offer  a 
sight  of  twenty  such  dull  people. 

Your  own  husband,  C.  H. 

PROF.    HODGE   TO    HIS   WIFE. 

LONDON,  July  $th,  1828. 

My  Dear  Sarah  : — A  few  evenings  ago  I  attended  the  de- 
bates in  the  House  of  Lords,  and  heard  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  the 
Marquis  of  Bute,  Lord  Calthorpe,  and  several  other  members  speak. 
All  most  miserable  speakers,  excepting  the  Duke,  who  can  say  what 
he  wants  in  a  plain,  sensible  manner.  The  whole  assembly  is  far 
from  imposing,  and  the  members  almost  as  negligent  as  those  of  the 
Commons,  lounging  about  and  talking  to  each  other.  Lord  Calthorpe 
is  a  very  pious,  excellent  man,  and  therefore  I  heard  him  with  plea- 
sure, although  he  is  a  very  poor  speaker. 

Your  own  husband,  C.  H. 

Mr.  Hodge  visited  the  usual  sights  in  London,  and  heard 
Dr.  Wardlaw,  of  Edinburgh,  preach  twice.  He  was  kindly 
entertained  over  Sabbath  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Roberts, 
about  five  miles  out  of  the  city.  He  and  Mr.  Chauncey 
spent  the  I2th,  I3th,  and  I4th  of  July  in  Cambridge,  and 
heard  Charles  Simeon  preach,  with  great  delight,  and 


^:T.  30.]  RETURN  HOME.  2OI 

visited  Professor  Lee,  to  whom  he  was  introduced  by  a 
letter  of  Tholuck's.  But  as  it  was  vacation  the  majority  of 
the  professors  were  absent.  Returning  to  London,  he  went 
to  Oxford  and  visited  the  Colleges,  but  all  the  gentlemen 
to  whom  he  bore  letters  were  absent,  enjoying  their  vaca- 
tion. He  then  visited  Blenheim,  the  seat  of  the  Duke  of 
Marlborough,  and  Warwick,  the  seat  of  the  Earl  of  War- 
wick, and  went  thence  to  Liverpool.  On  the  twenty-second 
he  left  Liverpool  for  a  rapid  visit  to  Edinburgh,  of  which 
not  a  single  line  of  record  survives.  On  the  1st  of  August 
he  sailed  from  Liverpool,  in  the  Caledonia,  for  New  York. 
He  reached  his  home,  in  Princeton,  about  the  i8th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1828,  WHERE  THERE  WAS  JOY.  Then  was  the  first 
abiding  image  of  his  father,  and  of  Drs.  Alexander, 
Miller,  and  Maclean,  who  gathered  to  the  greeting,  fixed  in 
the  mind  of  the  collector  and  recorder  of  these  memoirs. 
From  this  point  journals  and  domestic  letters  cease  to  be 
copious,  and  personal  recollections  begin  to  yield  their  con- 
tributions to  the  history  which  remains  to  be  traced. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


FROM    HIS    RETURN   TO    HOME   AND  WORK   IN   PRINCETON,  SEP- 
TEMBER,  1828,  TO  HIS  TRANSFERENCE  TO  THE  CHAIR  OF 
SYSTEMATIC   THEOLOGY,    MAY,  1840. 


WORK  AS  PROFESSOR  AND  PREACHER— CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  GERMAN 
FRIENDS — CHILDREN,  FAMILY  RELATIONS,  AND  RECREATIONS — CORRES- 
PONDENCE WITH  BROTHER — DEATH  OF  MOTHER — POLITICS — LAMENESS 
— HIS  DEPARTMENT  OF  INSTRUCTION  REINFORCED  BY  MR.  HUBBARD  AND 
PROF.  J.  A.  ALEXANDER— GATHERING  OF  PROFESSORS  AND  FRIENDS  IN 
STUDY — THE  Biblical  Repertory  and  Princeton  Review — ITS  HISTORY  AND 
ESTIMATE  OF  ITS  CHARACTER  AND  INFLUENCE— THE  QUALIFICATIONS 
AND  SUCCESS  OF  DR.  HODGE  AS  AN  EDITOR  AND  REVIEWER,  HIS  ASSO- 
CIATES AND  PRINCIPAL  CONTRIBUTORS— HIS  COMMENTARY  ON  ROMANS 
— HIS  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF 
THE  UNITED  STATES. 

THE  eleven  years,  the  record  of  which  is  assigned  to  this 
chapter,  were  years  of  critical  significance  in  the  history 
of  the  American  Presbyterian  Church,  as  well  as  those  in 
which  passed  the  crisis  of  Professor  Hodge's  life.  During 
this  period  the  conflict  of  elements  in  the  church  flamed 
into  open  controversy,  and  the  great  division  into  its  Old 
and  New  School  branches  was  consummated.  Dr.  Hodge's 
part  in  this  ecclesiastical  convulsion  was  so  important  that 
it  will  be  reserved  for  a  chapter  by  itself.  This  same  period 
was  marked  in  the  history  of  Professor  Hodge  as  the  one 
in  which,  through  protracted  confinement  and  acute  physi- 
cal suffering,  he  achieved  his  reputation  as  a  scholar, 
teacher,  writer,  and  pre-eminently  as  an  effective  controver- 
202 


JET.  30.]  HIS  INTRODUCTORY  LECTURE.  203 

sialist  and  church  leader.  [He  returned  from  Europe  com- 
paratively an  unknown  young  man,  and  he  entered  upon 
his  new  professorship  of  Didactic  theology  in  1840,  with 
very  much  the  same  general  reputation  he  enjoyed  to  the 
end  of  his  life.  ~] 

He  opened  the  session  of  1828,  '29,  with  the  Introduc- 
tory lecture,  in  which  he  endeavored  to  impress  upon  the 
minds  of  the  students  "  the  practical  truths  which  the  cir- 
cumstances of  foreign  states  and  countries  had  deeply  im- 
pressed upon  his  own."  These  were :  First t  the  great 
importance  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  as  illustrated  by 
the  effect  of  our  institutions  in  elevating  the  intelligence 
and  character  of  all  classes  of  the  people,  and  in  setting 
religion  and  the  church  free  from  the  trammels  of  the  State. 
Second,  the  training  of  youth  in  knowledge  and  religion. 
In  this  respect  he  declared  the  institutions  of  Germany  to 
be  greatly  in  advance  of  those  of  the  United  States.  He 
sketched  the  system  of  public  instruction,  through  all  the 
grades  of  schools,  throughout  the  Kingdom  of  Prussia, 
with  special  reference  to  religious  teaching  and  its  results. 
"  But  the  most  interesting  feature  of  the  whole  system  is 
that  religion  is  as  regularly  and  as  systematically  taught  as 
any  other  subject.  Each  class  of  schools  has  its  regular 
text-books  on  this  subject ;  and  in  all,  the  history  and  lead- 
ing principles,  both  in  doctrines  and  morals,  of  the  Scrip- 
ture3  are  inculcated.  The  nature  of  this  instruction  depends 
of  course  very  much  on  the  individual  character  of  the  man 
to  whom  it  is  committed,  and  it  is  too  often  the  case  that  it 
embraces  little  more  than  the  leading  facts  and  moral  prin- 
ciples of  the  Bible.  Still  even  this  is  of  immense  advantage. 

So  thoroughly  is  this  system  carried  through   in 

Prussia,  that  I  never  met  a  boy  selling  matches  in  the  street 
(and  I  made  several  experiments  of  the  kind)  who  could  not 
answer  any  common  question  on  the  historical  parts  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments."  "  The  German  system  provides 
for  education  of  Protestants,  Catholics  and  Jews  alike,  and 


204  INTRODUCTOR  Y  LECTURE.  [1828. 

where  it  is  possible,  by  separate  schools,  (is  it  not  possible 
in  this  country  to  have  the  Christian  religion  taught  in  the 
common  schools  ?^J  The  selection  of  teachers  and  the  course 
of  instruction  depends  on  the  commissioners  of  the  several 
districts.  If  public  opinion  once  be  brought  to  decide  for 

the  measure,  it  can  be  accomplished The  various 

sects  are  uniting  not  only  to  distribute  the  Bible,  but  also 
to  circulate  doctrinal  tracts.  May  they  not  be  induced  to 
unite  in  the  preparation  of  religious  school-books  in  which 
the  historical  facts  and  essential  doctrines,  in  which  all  evan- 
gelical denominations  agree,  may  be  taught  and  inculcated  ? 
If  such  books  could  receive  the  sanction  of  the  ruling  bodies 
of  the  various  sects  among  us,  there  would  be  no  difficulty 
in  their  being  generally  introduced."  The  Third  head  was 
the  intimate  connection  between  speculative  opinion  and 
moral  character.  The  correspondence  between  opinion  and 
character  is  strikingly  observable  in  the  various  religious 
parties  in  Germany.  The  leading  parties  are  the  Orthodox, 
the  Rationalists,  and  the  Pantheists.  ['Wherever  you  find 
vital  piety — that  is,  penitence  and  a  devotional  spirit — there 
you  find  the  doctrines  of  the  fall,  of  depravity,  of  regenera- 
tion, of  atonement,  and  of  the  deity  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  ne- 
ver saw  or  heard  of  a  single  individual  who  exhibited  a  spi- 
rit of  piety  who  rejected  any  one  of  these  doctrines.  Holi- 
ness is  essential  to  the  correct  knowledge  of  divine  things 
and  the  great  security  from  error."  j  "If  these  be  so,  bre- 
thren, '  keep  your  hearts  with  all  diligence ;'  beware  of  any 
course  of  study  which  has  a  tendency  to  harden  your  hearts 
and  deaden  the  delicate  sensibility  of  the  soul  to  moral  truth 
and  beauty.  Lean  not  on  your  own  understanding,  and 
keep  as  you  would  your  hold  on  heaven  your  reverence  for 
Jesus  Christ." 

Mr.  Hodge  now  devoted  himself  with  renewed  enthusi- 
asm and  with  untiring  diligence  to  his  studies  and  class  in- 
structions. His  professorship  covered  all  the  ground  now 
distributed  between  the  professorships  of  "  Oriental  and 


JET.  3L]    HIS  WORK  AS  TEACHER  AND  PREACHER.         205 

Old  Testament  Literature,"  of  "  New  Testament  Literature 
and  Biblical  Greek,"  and  of  the  "  Instructor  in  Hebrew," 
etc.  Until  his  lameness,  he  met  two  classes  every  day, 
teaching  and  lecturing  on  the  Hebrew  language,  literature, 
and  exegesis  in  the  mornings,  and  on  the  New  Testament 
literature  and  exegesis  every  afternoon.  He  prepared  also 
extensive  courses  of  lectures  on  Biblical  criticism,  herme- 
neutics,  special  introduction,  sacred  geography,  and  the 
exegesis  of  several  books  of  both  Testaments.  He  de- 
livered to  the  junior  class  exegetical  lectures  on  Paul's 
Epistles,  an  exercise  which  he  continued  without  interrup- 
tion to  the  end  of  his  life,  a  period  of  fifty  years.  At  this 
time,  also,  until  jncapacitated  by  lameness  in  the  summer 
of  1833^6  preached  in  his  turn  in  the  village  church,  and 
afterwards  in  the  Seminary  Oratory,  and  the  various 
Churches  of  the  neighboring  cities  and  surrounding  country. 
His  preaching  at  this  time  was  more  fresh  and  animated 
than  it  was  in  his  later  life.  He  engaged  in  the  work  with 
genuine  enthusiasm,  and  was  heard  with  universal  interest 
and  profit  by  intelligent  audiences.  He  uniformly  wrote 
and  read  the  entire  sermon/}  In  style  they  had  the  well- 
known  characteristics  of  all  that  proceeded  from  him ;  clear- 
ness, comprehensiveness,  and  vigor.  He  read  naturally  and 
simply,  at  times  perhaps  too  quietly,  but  with  his  strong 
and  inflammable  emotional  nature  ready  to  burst  forth  at 
any  moment  as  a  boiling  spring,  or  as  a  volcano,  flashing 
light  as  well  as  sending  forth  streams  of  passionate  feeling. 
None  of  the  sermons  preached  at  that  period  are  extant. 
The  tradition,  however,  yet  remains  of  certain  occasions 
when  his  feelings  were  powerfully  wrought  upon,  and  when, 
leaving  his  manuscript,  he  for  a  while  melted  or  thrilled  his 
audience  by  the  tenderness  or  the  passion  of  his  appeals. 

Such  an  occasion  was  the  funeral  of  Edward,  second  son 
of  the  venerable  Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  in  the  autumn  of  1832, 
when  Mr.  Hodge  preached  in  the  old  Church  which  pre- 
ceded the  present  first  Church  of  Princeton.  Dr.  S.  Ire- 


206  AS  A  PREACHER.  [1832. 

naeus  Prime  writes  me,  "  My  first  sight  of  your  illustrious 
and  now  glorified  father  was  in  the  pulpit  in  Princeton,  in 
the  autumn  of  1832,  when  he  preached  the  sermon  at  the 
funeral  of  Dr.  Miller's  son  Edward.  The  tenderness, 
simplicity  and  beauty  of  the  discourse  filled  me  with  won- 
der and  with  love,  and  awakened  a  new  train  of  thought  in 
connection  with  the  science  of  religious  education.  In  my 
mind  theology  had  not  been  associated  so  much  with  the 
writings  of  John  as  with  those  of  Paul ;  but  suddenly  I  saw 
both  these  men  of  the  Bible  blended  and  reproduced  in  the 
teacher  and  preacher  who  stood  before  me."  The  compiler 
of  these  memoirs,  then  a  child  in  the  gallery,  can  still  vivid- 
ly recall  the  wave  of  emotion  which  swept  over  the  whole 
audience,  when  the  preacher  lifted  himself  and  addressed  to 
the  college  students,  filling  the  gallery  on  his  right  hand 
with  the  voice  and  the  countenance  of  a  herald  from  the  eter- 
nal world,  the  message  sent  to  them  by  Edward  Miller  just 
before  he  died — "  Tell  them  to  stop ;  they  are  mad !  " 

An  instance  of  the  same  kind,  though  much  more  remark- 
able, occurred  when  he  was  called  to  deliver  the  funeral  ora- 
tion on  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  his  intimate  friend,  Rev. 
Dr.  Albert  B.  Dod,  the  brilliant  Professor  of  Mathematics  in 
Princeton  College,  in  November,  1845.  Dr.  Hodge  had  spent 
days  and  nights  at  the  bed-side  of  his  dying  yet  triumphant 
friend.  His  whole  soul  was  in  the  highest  state  of  spiritual 
exaltation.  An  account  of  this  address  and  the  effect  it 
produced  is  given  by  Dr.  Paxton  in  the  closing  chapter  of 
this  volume. 

HIS  CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  GERMAN  FRIENDS. 
During  these  years. he  kept  up  a  very  active  and  general 
correspondence  with  his  personal  friends,  and  wich  the  lead- 
ers in  the  Church's  work  alike  in  England  and  on  the  Eu- 
ropean continent  and  in  America.  Of  his  own  letters  not 
many  except  those  written  to  his  brother  can  now  be  re- 
called. But  several  of  the  letters  from  his  beloved  German 


GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE. 


2OJ 


friends  are  given  because  of  the  intrinsic  interest  attached  to 
the  names  of  the  writers,  and  because  they  beautifully  illus- 
trate the  warmth  of  personal  love  which  it  was  a  character- 
istic gift  of  Dr.  Hodge  to  attract  in  all  communities  and 
during  his  whole  life. 

PROFESSOR  HODGE  TO  PROFESSOR  THOLUCK. 

PRINCETON,  October  i2th,  1828. 

My  Dearest  Tholuck  :  —  You  can  hardly  conceive  of  the  pleasure 
I  experienced  when  my  little  boy  came  into  my  study  two  days  since, 
and  said,  "  Father,  here  are  two  letters  for  you  from  over  the  wide 
sea."  A  single  glance  was  enough  to  assure  me  that  one  was  from 
that  dear  friend  to  whose  kindness  and  affection  I  am  so  much  in- 
debted. The  many  happy  and  instructive  hours  I  have  spent  in 
your  society,  will  be  the  subject  of  delightful  recollection  to  the  close 
of  life.  I  look  back  to  my  sojourn  in  Germany  with  feelings  of  un- 
mingled  pleasure,  so  far  as  the  recollection  of  misimproved  advan- 
tages will  permit.  I  love  the  German  character,  as  exhibited  in 
Christians,  quite  as  much  as  though  I  were  myself  a  German,  and 
cannot  pass  a  German  immigrant  in  the  street  without  feelings  of 
interest  I  experience  for  no  other  people.  You  beg  me  to  inform 
you  "  of  my  affairs."  This  may  be  done  in  a  few  words.  After 
taking  a  tour  from  Dusseldorf  up  the  Rhine,  I  went  to  Heidelberg, 
thence  to  Basle  ;  spent  two  or  three  weeks  in  traveling  in  Switzer- 
land ;  passed  a  few  days  in  Geneva,  and  proceeded  thence  to  Paris. 
I  reached  England  about  the  2oth  of  June  ;  delivered  most  of  your 
letters.  I  visited  Cambridge,  and  was  kindly  received  by  Professor 
Lee,  whom  I  found  determined  to  write  down  all  your  German  neol- 
ogists.  In  Oxford  I  missed  both  of  the  gentlemen  to  whom  your 
letters  were  addressed.  I  sailed  from  Liverpool  on  the  2d  of  August, 
and  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  8th  of  September.  To  my  inex- 
pressible joy,  on  reaching  Princeton  the  following  day,  I  found  my 
wife  and  children  in  perfect  health  and  surrounded  with  every 
blessing. 

Dear  Tholuck,  you  can  hardly  think  how  happy  I  now  am.  My 
lovely  children  (for  they  are  very  lovely),  are  hanging  on  my  knees 
all  the  time,  and  my  dear  wife  —  I  will  not  talk  about  —  you  must  come 
and  see  her  !  Our  seminary  is  prospering,  and  is  furnished  with  its 
ordinary  number  of  students.  The  spirit  of  piety  has  not  declined 
among  them,  and  perhaps  more  of  a  disposition  to  embark  in  foreign 
missions  was  manifested  during  the  last  term  than  usual.  My  ven- 


208  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  [1829. 

crated  colleagues,  Drs.  Alexander  and  Miller,  you  would  love  very 
much.  They  are  the  lights  of  our  church,  and  their  memories  will 
long  be  blessed  when  they  are  gathered  to  their  rest. 

The  American  Board  of  Missions  met  last  week  in  Philadelphia. 
Their  report  was  very  interesting,  and  their  income  last  year  was 
108,000  dollars,  and  the  information  received  from  their  various 
stations  encouraging.  I  will  endeavor  to  send  a  printed  copy  of 
their  report  to  Berlin  by  the  first  opportunity.  The  History  of  The- 
ology in  the  i8th  century  has  been  printed.  It  would,  I  presume,  be 
much  too  expensive  to  you  if  we  should  send  it  to  you  at  Rome.  I 
will,  therefore,  forward  it  to  Halle  for  you.  I  am  very  much  dis- 
tressed to  hear  of  the  state  of  mind  of  poor  Krummacher.  It  was 
nearly  as  bad  before  I  left  Berlin,  but  I  cannot  help  regarding  it  as 
mainly  the  effect  of  disease,  and  consequently  hope  to  learn,  that 
with  returning  health,  his  faith  and  hope  have  been  restored.  I  am 
very  much  surprised  to  hear  what  you  mentioned  of  Otto  von  Ger- 
lach.  I  wish  he  would  come  to  this  country.  He  would,  I 
am  persuaded,  find  a  wide  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  talents. 
Should  a  kind  Providence  ever  send  any  one  of  the  dear  friends  I 
love  so  sincerely,  to  these  distant  shores,  I  should  be  overjoyed  to 
meet  them — my  house  and  heart  stand  ever  open  to  them.  I  should 
have  written  to  you  sooner,  had  I  not  thought  it  better  to  write  by  the 
way  of  Leghorn  ;  but  opportunities  for  that  port  occurring  so  seldom, 
I  hasten  to  take  advantage  of  the  first  packet  for  Havre.  I  thank 
you  most  cordially  for  your  dear  letter.  Do  write  to  me  as  often  as 
your  time  will  permit.  Tell  me  whatever  of  interest  occurs  in  your 
section  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Let  me  know  of  important  theo- 
logical works  which  you  think  I  ought  to  send  for.  I  obtain  books  now 
regularly  from  .the  Buch-handlung  des  Waisenhauses  in  Halle,  and 
shall  therefore  be  able  to  procure  whatever  works  you  may  recom- 
mend to  me. 

Give  my  best  respects  to  Herr  Bunsen,  who,  I  rejoice  to  hear,  is 
likely  to  attain  a  station  of  so  much  usefulness,  as  a  seat  in  the 
Ministerium. 

And  now  my  dearest  friend  accept  the  assurance  of  my  warmest 
and  most  grateful  affection.  Do  not  forget  me — may  love  to  our  com- 
mon Saviour  bind  our  hearts  in  perpetual  union. 

Your  brother  in  Christ,  C.  HODGE. 

LETTER  TO  PROF.  HODGE,  FROM  PROF.  A.  THOLUCK. 

ROME,  Feb.  2/th,  1829. 

My  Dear  Brother  in  the  Lord: — The  distance  that  separates  Prince- 
ton from  Rome  is  such,  and  the  waves  that  roll  between  my  dear 


^ET.  31.]  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  2OQ 

brother  and  myself  are  so  numerous,  that  I  really  despaired  of  our 
ever  being  able  to  stretch  our  hands  to  each  other  beyond  the  ocean. 
However,  you  have  received  from  the  hands  of  your  little  darling 
the  lines  of  your  poor  German  pilgrim  in  Rome,  and  Sir  Thomas,  the 
"maestro  di  casa"  of  the  Prussian  ambassador,  has  put  in  my  hands 
the  unexpected  news  which  I  have  received  from  the  dearest  friend 
I  possess  in  your  part  of  the  world.  You  can  scarcely  imagine, 
my  dear  Hodge,  the  delight  and  the  eagerness  with  which  I  broke 
the  seal  of  your  message.  So  delighted  was  I,  that  scarcely  any 
letter  from  my  country  excited  in  me  the  same  degree  of  eagerness. 
All  the  sweet  and  quiet  evenings,  spent  in  the  floor  room  of  the 
Ulrichs  Strasse,  and  the  little,  green  spot  out  of  the  Galgthor,  all  the 
delicious  enjoyments  of  the  Kuhstall  and  Tharand,  all  the  solemn 
hours  passed  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Berlin  brethren  stood  at  once 
before  my  eyes.  Earthly  and  spiritual  enjoyments,  earthly  and 
spiritual  cares  have  linked  our  hearts  together,  and  space  and  time 
shall  never  separate  what  God  has  united. 

You  enjoy  again  all  the  delights  and  the  sweetness  of  a  Christian 
family-life,  and  your  days  will  pass  on  quietly  to  the  end.  To  me 
new  scenes  of  life  have  appeared,  and  are  opening  again  before  my 
eyes,  but  for  me  the  spot  of  undisturbed  tranquillity  lies  forever  be- 
yond, in  that  life,  from  which  none  has  ever  returned,  but  He,  who 
will  lead  there  all  troubled  souls,  and  myself  among  them,  as  I 
trust  in  God.  The  days  of  my  residence  in  Rome  are  running  fast 
to  an  end.  Before  German  spring  begins,  I  shall  find  myself  once 
more  at  the  solemn  gateway  of  the  Galg-Strasse.  The  time  spent  in 
Rome  has  been  for  me  a  time  full  of  various  enjoyments  and  various 
engagements  ;  and,  although  the  sting  in  my  flesh  has  made  many 
an  hour  gloomy,  I  must  still  and  will  ever  praise  the  Lord  for  the 
great  mercies  he  has  shown  me  during  the  past  year.  I  shall  leave 
Rome  with  my  bodily  vigor  partly  recruited,  and  with  faith  and  hope 
still  more  increased.  I  have  good  reason  to  hope  that  the  spiritual 
condition  of  Halle  will  improve.  Although  hindered  by  various 
intrigues  the  appointment  of  Guericke  as  extraordinarius  is  almost 
sure,  and  very  lately  Prof.  Ullmann  has  been  called  there  to  the 
professorship  of  Niemeyer.  He  will  probably  become  a  more  sincere 
fellow-labourer  than  Thilo,  although  there  is  a"bout  him  a  good  deal  of 
fear  and  timidity  of  men.  A  little  flock  of  faithful  students  is  still 
remaining  in  Halle,  and  under  God's  blessing  will  increase.  The  Ber- 
lin Church  journal  (Kirchenzeitung]  is  becoming  more  and  more  a 
standard  for  the  faithful  in  Germany.  The  persecutions  Hengsten- 
berg  has  suffered  on  its  account  evince  it  the  more  a  work  agreeable 
to  the  Lord  of  the  Church,  and  dangerous  to  its  adversary,  the  foul 
14 


2IO  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  [1829. 

fiend.  The  communications  which  it  contains  from  America,  have 
been  a  stimulus  to  many  others  as  well  as  myself  to  fresh  exertions. 
They  are  truly  delightful.  Pray  send  to  me  at  Halle  some  more  of 
your  publications. 

I  cannot  help  mentioning  again  our  dear  little  Krummacher.  I 
understand  that  the  mist  which  involved  his  mind  is  disappearing. 
His  spirit  was  terribly  excited  by  the  grand  subject  of  predestina- 
tion, which  his  uncle  had  enforced  upon  his  mind,  and  which  was  so 
violently  combated  at  Berlin,  and  this  has  now  come  to  be  appre- 
hended by  him  as  by  his  whole  family  as  a  truth. 

I  send  this  letter  to  Havre  by  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Jarvis,  an 
Episcopalian  from  Boston,  who  saw  you  in  Paris.  He  intends  to 
spend  the  summer  of  1830  at  Halle.  Our  dear  Robinson  has  not  yet 
reached  Rome,  and  I  do  not  know  whether  I  am  still  to  expect  him. 
Pray  dear  friend  write  to  me  very  soon  and  send  to  me  whatever 
you  think  interesting.  In  the  bonds  of  Christian  fellowship,  and 
with  a  greeting  to  your  esteemed,  though  to  me  unknown,  wife. 
Yours  sincerely  and  faithfully, 

A.  THOLUCK 

PROF.    HODGE    TO    PROFESSOR   THOLUCK. 

PRINCETON,  February  28th,  1829. 

My  Dear  Friend  and  Brother : — I  wrote  to  you  some  months 
since,  directing,  as  you  requested,  to  the  care  of  the  Prussian  Lega- 
tion, Rome.  I  write  now  to  Halle,  in  the  expectation  that  this  letter 
will  find  you  there  by  the  first  or  middle  of  April.  My  affection  for 
you  remaining  undiminished,  I  am  very  desirous  to  hear  from  you 
and  learn  the  state  of  your  health,  and  the  character  of  your  present 
prospects.  I  trust  that  your  long  absence  in  so  delightful  a  country, 
and  under  such  favorable  circumstances,  has  been  the  means  of  re- 
storing your  spirits  and  preparing  you  anew  for  the  arduous  duties  of 
your  station.  Let  me  know  how  things  look  in  Halle.  What  pro- 
gress the  cause  of  truth  is  making  there  and  elsewhere  in  Germany  ? 
I  feel  a  deep  interest  in  all  that  concerns  your  important  section  of 
the  Church,  and  cannot  but  hope  that  the  time  is  coming  when  she 
will  arise  in  new  splendor  from  the  ruins  of  her  lamentable  fall. 

With  us  there  is  little  of  much  interest  which  you  will  not  learn 
from  the  American  journals.  Although  I  feel  as  deeply  as  ever  the 
great  advantages  which  our  ecclesiastical  liberty  confers  upon  us,  and 
think  that  we  have  great  reason  to  rejoice  in  the  general  prevalence 
of  truth  and  piety  in  most  sections  of  our  country,  I  am  now  aware  to 
a  greater  degree,  than  formerly,  of  the  evils  which  attend  even  the  best 
system.  Our  worldly  men  are  more  worldly  even  than  yours.  Reli- 


JET.  31.]  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  211 

gion  being  no  concern  of  the  state,  they  do  not  even  pay  it  the 
formal  regard  which  in  your  country  it  receives  as  a  part  of  one 
general  secular  establishment.  Everything  depends  with  us  on 
public  opinion,  and  this  will,  in  the  main,  be  right  as  long  as  vital 
piety  be  prevalent  to  the  extent  it  is  at  present.  (Revivals  of  religion  / 
continue  in  every  section  of  the  country,  particularly  to  the  North 
and  East,  and  greater  exertions  are  now  made  than  ever  before  for 
the  propagation  of  the  Gospel,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  and  for  the 
diffusion  of  knowledgeT] 

My  Berlin  friends  have  never  written  to  me.  I  wrote  a  few  weeks 
after  reaching  home  to  Ludwig  Von  Gerlach,  but  have  as  yet  received 
no  answer.  I  long  to  hear  from  them,  but  fear  to  trouble  them  with 
my  letters.  I  am  very  desirous  to  be  kept  informed  of  the  progress 
of  theological  literature  in  Germany,  and  for  this  purpose  have 
ordered  several  of  your  periodicals — the  Tubingen  Zeit-Schrift,  that 
by  Umbreit,  Lucke,  &c.,  the  Evangelische  Kirchen-Zeitung,  and 
several  others,  but  they  come  very  slowly.  July,  1828,  is  the  last  num- 
ber that  I  have  received  of  the  Berlin  journal.  Please  speak  to  Mr. 
Funke  (the  manager  of  the  Buch-handlung),  and  beg  him  to  forward 
the  periodicals  as  rapidly  and  as  regularly  as  possible.  Please  order 
for  us,  from  time  to  time,  any  book  which  you  may  think  important 
for  us  to  have,  to  the  amount  of  from  50  to  100  Prussian  dollars 
annually.  You  know  the  kind  of  books  I  want,  valuable  works  on 
the  language,  literature  and  exegesis  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments. 

As  I  presume  so  far  on  the  bond  of  Christian  fellowship  which 
binds  us  together,  as  to  make  such  demands  on  your  goodness,  can- 
not you  find  something  for  me  to  do  for  you  ?  Are  none  of  your 
friends  ever  coming  to  our  side  of  the  Atlantic  ?  I  should  be  de- 
lighted to  have  it  in  my  power  to  manifest  my  gratitude  towards 
Germany,  by  showing  kindness  to  any  German.  I  wrote  a  letter  of 
introduction  for  Rev.  Edmund  D.  Griffin,  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
to  you  about  a  week  since.  He  is  the  son  of  an  eminent  lawyer 
in  New  York,  and  a  young  man,  I  understand,  of  amiable  character. 
I  do  not  know  him  personally,  and  therefore  cannot  say  whether  he 
belongs  to  the  High-church  or  the  Evangelical  party  of  the  Episco- 
pal church. 

My  dear  Brother  in  Jesus  Christ  do  not  forget  me.  Write  to  me 
often.  Give  my  best  love  to  Dr.  Guericke,  and  to  all  my  Berlin 
friends.  May  the  best  of  Heaven's  blessings  always  attend  you. 

Your  friend  and  brother  in  Christ, 

C.  HODGE. 


212  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  [1829. 

PROF.  HODGE  TO  PROFESSOR  THOLUCK. 

PRINCETON,  June  8th,  1829. 

My  Dear  Friend: — I  received  some  weeks  since  your  second 
letter  from  Rome,  written  on  the  eve  of  your  departure  for  Halle. 
Some  time  before  your  letter  was  received,  I  had  written  and  di- 
rected to  you  at  Halle,  under  the  expectation  that  you  would  be  there 
in  March  or  April.  I  greatly  rejoice  at  the  renewed  health  and 
spirits  with  which  you  return  to  your  usual  duties,  and  cannot  but 
hope  that  Providence  will  render  you  a  great  blessing  to  the  section 
of  the  church  in  which  he  has  called  you  to  labor.  The  accounts 
which  I  have  incidentally  received  regarding  the  progress  of  the  Re- 
deemer's cause  in  Germany,  are  very  encouraging,  and  make  me 
regret  that  my  means  of  intercourse  with  you  are  not  more  frequent 
and  more  direct.  You  are  the  only  one  of  my  German  friends  who 
has  written  to  me. 

I  have  just  returned  from  Philadelphia,  where  I  have  been  for  the 
last  two  weeks  attending  the  meeting  of  our  General  Assembly.  We 
had  a  large  and  interesting  meeting,  and  have  much  reason  to  re- 
joice in  the  progress  of  the  cause  of  Christ  in  our  country.  We 
received  several  very  excellent  letters  from  the  French  Protestant 
churches,  with  whom  we  have  opened  a  correspondence,  which  bids 
fair  to  be  mutually  useful.  I  will  endeavor  to  send  you  a  copy  of 
our  minutes,  and  of  the  reports  of  our  several  religious  and  benevo- 
lent societies.  They  will  serve  to  exhibit  to  you  more  of  the  activity 
of  "  the  hands  and  feet "  of  the  church,  and  arouse  you,  who  consti- 
tute the  head  and  heart,  to  do  your  work  in  unison.  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  our  good  friend,  Bishop  Andres,  in  Philadelphia. 
This  was  his  first  visit  to  that  city.  He  had  been  shut  up  in  Bethle- 
hem, and  has,  I  fear,  not  received  the  most  favorable  impression  of 
his  new  residence.  He  complained  much  of  the  heat  of  the  climate, 
and  of  the  difficulty  of  adapting  himself  to  it.  I  hope  he  may  make 
me  a  visit  in  Princeton,  it  would  give  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  be 
kind  to  a  real  German. 

Please  write  to  me  soon  and  often.  My  heart  yearns  toward  you 
with  all  its  first  affection,  and  I  cannot  bear  to  think  that  my  dear 
friends  abroad  have  so  soon  forgotten  me.  I  heard  lately  from  dear 
Monod,  who  is  laboring  faithfully  and  successfully  at  St.  Quintin, 
and'a  little  while  after  received  from  the  Stadtrath  Semler  a  beautiful 
little  picture  of  Lisco's  church,  and  a  short  note.  I  wish  you  would 
thank  him  for  me,  should  you  have  an  opportunity,  though  I  hope 
soon  to  write  to  him  myself.  Give  my  best  love  to  all  my  friends — 
both  the  von  Gerlachs,  Le  Coq,  Focke,  von  Senfft,  Hengstenberg, 


^ET.  31.]  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  213 

Guericke,  &c.  I  often  think  of  them  with  great  affection.  The  intelli- 
gence which  you  gave  me  of  Krummacher's  return,  did  not  surprise, 
though  it  greatly  rejoiced  me.  He  will,  I  hope,  come  out  from  the 
fiery  trial,  by  which  he  has  been  tried,  as  gold  doubly  purified. 

May  God  our  Saviour  bless  and  keep  you  my  dear  friend  and 
brother,  and  enable  us  both  to  run,  with  joy,  the  race  which  has  been 
set  before  us.  Yours,  with  much  affection  and  esteem,  C.  HODGE. 

LETTER    FROM     PRESIDENT   LUDWIG   VON    GERLACH    TO 
MR.    HODGE. 

BERLIN,  July  I4th,  1829. 

To  Mr.  Hodge : — How  ungrateful  must  I  have  seemed  to  you,  my 
friend  dearly  beloved  in  the  Lord,  in  that  I  have  left  unanswered  un- 
til to-day  your  letter  of  the  28th  of  last  September — a  letter  so  friendly 
and  gracious  !  I  ask  you,  nevertheless,  to  believe  that  I,  like  your- 
self, hold  fast  the  common  interest  which  faith  in  Christ  and  His  love 
has  awakened  in  us,  and  that  I  constantly  and  thoughtfully  recollect 
the  blessings  which  God  has  bestowed  upon  me  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  His  children  in  America,  and  especially  through  an  ac- 
quaintance with  the  American  churches,  and  particularly  through 
yourself,  since  you  have  shown  me  the  living  image  of  that  which 
written  and  printed  descriptions  but  imperfectly  represent.  I  feel  so 
deeply  in  myself  and  most  German  Christians  the  lack  of  determina- 
tion and  completeness  which  are  to  be  found  in  both  theory  and  prac- 
tice among  the  followers  of  Christ  in  England  and  America ;  and  I 
know  so  well  that  whatever  profoundness  of  thought  and  feeling  may 
exist  in  Germany  is  but  a  poor  substitute  for  these  effectual  operations 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  These  latter  qualities  of  the  German  character 
may  very  easily  entice  and  lead  us  not  to  God,  but  into  the  abysms 
of  Pantheism.  For  this  reason  communion  with  the  Lord's  people 
beyond  the  sea  is  a  necessity.  If,  notwithstanding,  I  have  left  your 
letter  so  long  unanswered,  I  must  plead  in  excuse  the  press  of  affairs 
and  business  which  my  stay  in  Berlin  brings  with  it.  Not  every  mo- 
ment is  fitted  for  converse  with  so  true  and  dear  a  friend.  We  await 
rather  a  time  when  heart  and  soul  are  fresh  and  free  from  business 
cares  and  outside  impressions,  and  while  thus  waiting,  month  after 
month  passes  away.  I  am  not  even  now  able  to  write  to  you  because 
the  proper  mood  is  come,  but  to-day  is  an  important  epoch  and 
turning-point  in  my  life,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  carry  over  into  the  new 
period  the  debt  of  love  which  your  letter  of  the  28th  of  September  has 
laid  upon  me,  although  I  repay  it  poorly  and  unsatisfactorily  with 
these  rapid  lines,  and  your  undeserved  friendship  and  love  will  make 
me  ever  your  debtor, 


214  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  [1829. 

To-day  is  my  wedding-day.  Let  me  but  look  into  your  house  in 
Princeton  at  the  joy  of  seeing  once  more  your  loved  wife  and  children 
"all  loveliness  and  promise  to  a  father's  eye,"  and  then  you  will  feel 
with  me  what  I  experience  to-day,  especially  when  you  recall  that  it 
is,  as  you  know,  my  second  marriage.  My  life  has  not  been,  as  you 
once  said  of  your  own,  "like  a  silver  stream."  It  has  overflowed 
with  sorrows.  The  mercy  of  the  Lord  meets  me  once  more  with  con- 
solation and  joy,  but  my  heart  has  not  yet  recovered  from  its  wounds, 
and  longs  to  be  free  from  sin  and  death,  to  rest  in  Him  who  alone 
hath  everlasting  joy  and  life.  My  bride  is  the  cousin  and  dear  friend 
of  my  late  wife,  and  in  this  way  first  became  dear  to  me.  Gossner  is 
to  perform  the  ceremony.  Day  after  to-morrow  we  leave  for  Halle, 
where  I  have  been  appointed  Landgerichts-director,  President  of  an 
inferior  court  of  justice ;  and  there  I  hope  to  enjoy  Tholuck's  com- 
panionship. You  will  learn  from  the  accompanying  letters  of  Otto 
von  Focke,  together  with  much  beside,  that  durtng  last  May  we  suf- 
fered a  sore  affliction  in  the  loss  through  death  of  our  dear  friend  Le 
Coq,  with  whom  we  were  so  often  together.  The  peace  and  tranquil- 
lity of  mind  which  characterized  him  lasted  through  many  sorrows  to 
the  end,  and  his  death  awakened  the  heart  of  his  brother,  whom  you 
also  know,  and  moved  him  to  give  himself  up  wholly  unto  the  Lord. 

The  little  time  which  remains  for  me  to  stay  is  almost  gone.  Let 
me  beg  you  once  more  to  pardon  my  long  silence,  and  to  rest  assured 
of  my  warmest  brotherly  affection.  As  Cato  always  said,  "  Praeterea 
censeo  Carthaginem  esse  delendam,"  so  I  say  to  you,  and  would 
like  to  say  the  same  to  all  Christians  in  America,  among  others  to 
Dr.  Alfred  Post,  in  New  York.  Be  on  your  guard  against  material- 
istic politics  and  the  false  liberalism  of  the  infidel  French  and  English 
of  the  last  century — Voltaire,  Gibbon,  Rousseau,  &c.,  &c.  Compare 
not  only  your  doctrines,  but  also  your  feelings,  with  those  of  the 
blessed  Lord,  of  St.  Paul,  and  of  the  saints  of  former  times,  on  the 
one  hand,  and  with  those  of  the  liberals  of  our  own  time  on  the  other ; 
but  compare  thoroughly  and  candidly,  without  prejudices,  as  before 
the  all-seeing  eye  of  the  Holy  One,  and  shudder  if  you  disagree  with 
the  former  and  agree  with  the  latter.  Alas !  that  Satan  should  always 
prefer  to  build  chapels  close  beside  the  churches  of  God ! 

Yours  forever,  LUDWIG  VON  GERLACH. 

My  warmest  regards  for  Mrs.  Hodge,  my  half-countrywoman. 

LETTER   FROM   JUSTICE   OTTO    FOCKE, 

BERLIN,  July  29,  1829. 

My  Dearest,  Dearest  Brother : — Oh  !  that  I  could  express  by  words, 
my  dearest  friend,  how  I  love  you,  and  how  my  heart  longs  to  see 


^T.  3L]  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  215 

you  again  in  this  life !  But  that  is  the  blessing  of  the  bond  of  Chris- 
tian love,  that,  although  far  separated  by  land  and  sea,  the  hearts  are 
and  remain  united  in  tender  and  firm  love  and  in  prayer.  God  bless 
likewise  our  bond  of  love  ;  and  as  I  never  will  forget  my  dearest  and 
loveliest  friend  Hodge,  you  may  sometimes  remember  Berlin,  and 
pray  for  the  friends  you  have  in  this  city.  Your  friendly  letter  to  von 
Gerlach  has  rejoiced  us  very  much,  and  I  hope  that  you  will  continue 
to  communicate  to  us  from  time  to  time  news  of  your  welfare. 

My  friends  have  probably  written  to  you  that  one  of  our  dear  bre- 
thren, the  soft  and  lovely  Adolph  Le  Coq,  walks  no  more  amongst 
us.  He  was  the  best  of  the  Christian  friends  here  at  Berlin,  and 
therefore  God  hastened  to  bring  him  in  peace.  Oh,  that  we  may  see 
ourselves  with  him  before  the  throne  of  God.  What  a  joy  to  be 
united  there  with  all  friends  in  unseparated  connection.  There  shall 
be  no  more  leaving  nor  separations  by  land  or  by  sea.  Yes,  there 
shall  I  see  you  again,  and  see  your  beloved  wife  and  dear  children. 

We  had  the  last  winter,  also,  some  very  dear  friends  from  America 
here  amongst  us,  the  dear  Post  and  Woolsey,  but  they  were  no 
Hodge. 

That  beloved  word,'  'America,'  has  been  a  great  deal  more  in  my 
mind  and  heart  since  I  met  such  dear  friends  from  there,  and  know 
that  they  are  safe  at  home  again.  Alas,  that  the  world  is  so  large, 
and  friends  so  widely  scattered.  Prof.  Tholuck  was  here  during  Whit- 
sunday and  stayed  with  me.  Remember  him  often  in  your  prayers, 
that  the  Lord  may  give  him  faith,  the  most  steadfast  and  happy,  and 
also  aid  him  with  firmness  and  decision  in  his  course  of  life.  He  is 
now  engaged  to  a  young  lady  in  Halle.  May  the  Lord  bestow  his 
blessings  on  this  bond.  He  remembers  you  constantly  with  much 
love. 

Our  circle  of  Christian  friends,  through  the  removal  of  the  beloved 
Ludwig  von  Gerlach  to  Halle,  and  of  Prof.  Hochweg  to  Bonn,  and 
through  the  death  of  the  blessed  Le  Coq,  has  suffered  a  very  painful 
loss,  and  there  is  great  need  that  the  Lord  raise  up  new  brothers. 
Alas !  that  there  are  so  few  Christians,  and  that  even  among  Chris- 
tians themselves,  there  is  so  little  firmness  and  decision.  The  Lord 
has  visited  Europe  with  severe  trials  and  heavy  calamities,  with 
earthquakes,  floods,  violent  storms,  diseases,  etc.,  but  the  majority  of 
the  people  heed  neither  the  voice  of  love  nor  wrath. 

The  times  appear  to  me  to  indicate  more  and  more  that  the  coming 
of  the  Lord  is  near  at  hand.  Therefore  we  will  take  courage  and 
await  Him  with  watching  and  praying.  Yes,  He  will  surely  come, 
and  we  will  pray,  'come  soon !'  Now,  farewell,  God  bless  you  and 
your  dear  wife  and  children,  with  His  everlasting  blessing. 


21 6  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  [1830. 

Let  us  receive  good  tidings  from  you  very  soon,  and  write  also 
some  lines  to  me. 

Farewell,  and  remember  your  faithful  and  obedient  brother  in  the 
Lord.  OTTO  VON  FOCKE. 

LETTER  TO  PROF.  HODGE,  FROM  PROF.  A.  THOLUCK. 

HALLE,  March  30,  1830. 

My  Dear  Friend  Hodge: — I  sent  you  a  letter  last  summer,  some 
time  in  August.  Did  it  not  reach  you  ?  It  was  my  heartfelt  expres- 
sion, but  I  have  received  no  answer  to  it.  I  have  been  quite  well 
during  the  past  winter,  and  have  been  able  to  do  a  great  deal  of 
work,  but  my  wife*  is  very  sickly  the  greater  part  of  the  time.  In  no 
way  can  I  keep  her  with  me  very  long ;  yet  the  Lord's  will  be  mine. 
Our  beloved  Guericke,  who  enjoyed  the  happiest  of  marriages,  has 
suddenly  lost  his  wife  in  child-birth.  He  is  so  afflicted  thereby  that 
he  is  thinking  of  resigning  his  professorship,  and  becoming  a  pastor. 
We  have  experienced  much  in  many  ways  during  the  last  few 
months.  The  King  has  now  appointed  an  able  committee  to  investi- 
.gate  the  teaching  of  Profs.  Gesenius  and  Wegscheider,  but  no  further 
results  will  be  reached.  On  the  whole  I  have  not  been  able  to  agree 
with  Von  Gerlach's  action — he  is  the  author  of  the  article  in  the 
Kirchenzeitung.  The  excitement  is  still  going  on  here.  I  know  not 
whether  the  cause  is  really  advanced  by  it.  Yet  there  was  a  warmer 
and  a  firmer  bond  of  love  between  some  thirty  students  last  winter 
than  ever  before. 

We  had  also  established  a  missionary  society,  the  regulations  of 
which  I  enclose  with  this  letter.  I  besought  you  urgently  in  my 
last  letter  to  prove  your  friendship  toward  me  by  sending  a  contribu- 
tion to  the  Literary  Advertiser.  I  will  now  limit  still  further  my  wish 
expressed  at  that  time,  and  ask  you  only  for  the  notice  and  critical 
opinion  of  the  most  current  work  in  America  for  or  against  predesti- 
nation, together  with  a  historical  review  of  its  advocates  and  oppo- 
nents. I  beg  you  not  to  refuse  me  this  friendly  service.  I  shall  soon 
expect  its  execution. 

In  the  Lord  our  Saviour,  yours  ever  the  same.         A.  THOLUCK. 

PROF.    HODGE   TO    PROFESSOR   THOLUCK. 

PRINCETON,  February  Qth,  1831. 

My  Dearest  Tholuck  : — How  often  and  how  affectionately  my 
thoughts  and  heart  have  been  turned  towards  you  since  I  last  wrote, 
it  would  be  difficult  for  me  to  state.  It  is  seldom,  I  believe,  that  a 

*  Married  since  his  return  to  Halle  from  Rome,  summer  of  1829. 


MT.  33.]  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  2 1  7 

day  passes  without  your  image  presenting  itself  in  some  form  or 
another  before  my  mind.  I  commune  with  you  in  your  writings, 
where  I  trace  those  same  features  which  were  so  familiarly  exhibited 
during  our  personal  intercourse.  Or  I  hold  intercourse  with  your 
spirit  through  the  recollections  of  the  past.  Rejoice  over  the  remem- 
brance of  your  friendship,  and  in  the  prospect  of  meeting  you  Jen- 
seits  in  a  purer  world.  I  have  sympathized  with  you  much  in  your 
trials  in  Halle.  The  more,  because  you  could  not,  as  you  mention  in 
your  letter,  fully  approve  of  the  course  of  your  own  friends.  It  is 
difficult  for  a  stranger  to  enter  understandingly  into  all  the  circum- 
stances which  should  modify  the  application  of  general  principles  to 
particular  cases,  in  a  distant  land.  To  us  the  principle  on  which  our 
dear  friend  von  Gerlach  seems  to  have  proceeded,  that  the  members 
of  a  church  should,  while  they  continue  such,  conform  to  its  stand- 
ards, seems  self-evident.  And  in  such  a  country  as  ours,  its  applica- 
tion is  easy.  But  how  it  is  possible,  rebus  sic  stantibus,  to  do  the 
same  with  you,  it  is  not  for  me  to  judge.  My  feelings,  however,  side 
with  von  Gerlach  and  Hengstenberg  in  this  business,  and  force  me 
to  dissent  from  the  course  the  venerated  Neander  would  have  the 
friends  of  religion  in  Germany  to  pursue.  I  rejoice  much  in  the 
spirit  of  your  communication  to  the  Evang.  Zeitung,  respecting  the 
nature  of  your  relation  to  the  Rationalism  of  Halle.  You  will  excuse 
my  saying,  that  the  drift  of  some  passages  of  your  discourse  on  the 
Relation  of  Revelation  to  Reason,  published  in  your  Anzeiger,  made 
me  fear  that  we  differed  considerably  on  this  point,  and  that  you 
were  less  impressed  with  the  radical  difference  between  the  two  sys- 
tems, Rationalism  and  Faith  in  God's  word,  than  we  Positive  men 
could  have  wished.  The  spirit  of  your  communication  to  the  Kirch- 
en-Zeitung  has  removed  in  a  great  measure  this  apprehension,  and 
made  me  feel  that  we  all  are  of  one  mind  on  this  subject.  I  regret 
that  I  do  not  receive  the  Anzeiger  and  other  periodicals  more  regu- 
larly and  frequently.  Nothing  later  than  May,  1830,  has  come  to 
hand. 

The  wonderful  changes  that  have  occurred  in  the  political  state  of 
Europe  since  you  wrote,  are  full  of  interest  for  the  Christian.  I  fear 
troublous  times  are  at  hand  for  your  poor  Prussians  ;  with  Poland 
convulsed  on  the  east,  and  intoxicated  France  on  the  west,  it  seems 
scarcely  possible  that  peace  can  long  be  maintained.  Will  you  not 
be  tempted  to  seek  an  asylum  on  our  peaceful  shores,  far  from  the 
struggles  of  the  dying  systems  of  feudal  Europe  ?  I  have  profited 
much  from  the  lessons  of  Ludwig  von  Gerlach,  and  though  I  rejoice 
in  the  progress  of  liberty  as  much  as  ever,  am  rather  cautious  to  see 
that  whatis/z/j/,  as  well  as  what  is  desirable,  should  be  kept  in  view. 


2l8  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  [1833. 

I  have  not  the  purpose  of  writing  on  politics  to  you.  The  state  of 
things  in  our  country,  politically,  is  not  without  its  clouds.  I  do  not 
apprehend  any  serious  convulsions,  but  our  present  rulers  take  such 
a  view  of  our  relation  to  the  dependent  Indian  tribes  on  our  borders, 
that  I  very  much  fear  our  national  character  will  be  deeply  stained  by 
their  disregard  of  solemn  treaties.  The  religious  state  of  the  country 
is  as  favorable  as  in  years  past.  The  number  of  extensive  revivals  in 
various  quarters  is  considerable.  For  particulars  I  must  refer  to  the 
New  York  Observer.  The  progress  of  the  Temperance  Reformation 
has  been  astonishing.  No  one  could  have  imagined  that  such  a  result 
could  have  been  produced  by  the  simple  proposition,  that  men  should 
agree  never  to  use  ardent  spirits  except  as  a  medicine.  The  consump- 
tion of  this  destructive  article  has,  by  the  exertions  of  temperance 
societies,  been  diminished  perhaps  one-half. 

I  thank  you  for  the  books  which  you  ordered  in  my  name  at  the 
Waisenhaus.  I  wish  to  receive  the  most  important  of  your  theologi- 
cal works,  that  I  may  be  kept  going,  so  to  speak,  with  the  German 
mind.  We  have  not  received  the  2d  part  of  the  2d  volume  of  Nean- 
der's  Ecclesiastical  History.  Will  you  order  for  me  a  copy  of  Frey- 
tag's  edition  of  Golius ;  of  Schlegel's  Philosophische  Vorlesungen, 
delivered  in  Dresden  ;  of  the  Greek  Testament,  Scholz  ;  of  Draseke's 
sermons,  and  whatever  good  and  new  works  you  choose  within 
moderate  limits. 

Give  my  best  love  to  Guericke.  How  severe  has  been  his  loss,  and 
how  shameful  the  treatment  he  has  received !  I  did  intend  writing 
to  our  friend  Ludwig  von  Gerlach  this  afternoon,  but  am  prevented 
by  company.  Assure  him  of  my  continued  and  warm  affection. 
Dear  Friend,  do  write  to  me.  I  long  to  hear  from  you.  Do  not  pun- 
ish me  for  my  silence.  Write  at  once  on  the  spur  of  the  moment. 
You  have  a  home  in  America  whenever  you  choose  to  come  and 
claim  it.  I  saw  Mrs.  Robinson  last  October  in  Boston.  I  was  much 
delighted  with  meeting  her  again.  She  appeared  well  and  happy, 
and  takes  just  and  philosophic  views  of  things  in  this  country.  The 
Richtung  of  the  people  is  so  different  from  her's,  that  she  can  hardly 
feel  herself  at  home  yet,  particularly  at  Andover.  I  want  to  send 
you  a  set  of  the  Biblical  Repertory  published  here  in  Princeton. 

Love  to  all  dear  German  friends. 

Yours,  affectionately,  C.  HODGE. 

PROF.    HODGE   TO    PROF.    THOLUCK. 

PRINCETON,  April  6th,  1833. 

My  Dear  Friend: — In  commending  to  your  kind  and  affectionate 
reception  Mr.  J.  A.  Alexander,  I  feel  as  though  I  were  commending 


JET.  35.]  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  2 1 9 

my  second  self  to  you,  if  you  will  understand  this  expression  as  in- 
tended to  convey,  in  the  strongest  terms,  the  interest  which  I  feel  in 
his  welfare,  and  that  I  will  rejoice  as  much  over  kindness  shown  to 
him,  as  if  I  experienced  it  in  person.  Mr.  Alexander  is  my  associate 
in  the  department  of  Biblical  Instruction  in  our  Seminary.  He  is 
more  of  a  scholar,  especially  in  your  favorite  field  of  Oriental  lan- 
guages, than  any  American  within  my  knowledge,  who  has  visited 
Europe.  He  is  an  amiable  and  excellent  man,  and  what  is  of  more 
importance,  and  of  greater  interest  to  you,  he  is  a  Christian.  I  feel 
assured,  therefore,  you  will  receive  him  for  his  own  sake  as  well  as 
mine,  with  open  arms,  and  facilitate  in  every  way  you  can  his  improve- 
ment and  happiness.  I  wish  it  were  possible  for  him  to  spend  the 
winter  with  you,  as  I  have  no  doubt  it  would  be  of  great  service  to 
him,  and  a  great  pleasure  to  you.  His  plans  are  not  yet  definitely 
fixed,  and  you  may  greatly  aid  him  in  making  the  most  advantage- 
ous disposition  of  himself  during  his  stay  in  Germany.  Will  you  be 
good  enough  to  facilitate  his  access  to  your  scholars  and  libraries, 
and  do  for  him  as  you  did  for  me,  which  includes  all  kindness.  That 
neither  time  nor  distance  has  either  weakened  or  changed  my  feel- 
ings for  you,  I  hope  your  own  heart  will  lead  you  readily  to  believe. 
You  are  as  bad  a  correspondent  as  I  am.  I  wish  you  would  reform 
in  this  respect,  and  I  will  promise  to  follow  your  example. 

Yours,  affectionately,  C.  HODGE. 

LUDWIG  VON  GERLACH  TO  PROFESSOR  HODGE. 

HALLE,  Whitsunday,  1833. 

My  Beloved  Friend  and  Brother  in  Christ: — From  this  subject  in 
regard  to  which  I  have  ventured  to  presume  a  perfect'unity  of  feeling 
between  your  Christian  fellow-countrymen  and  myself,  I  will  now 
pass  to  another,  which  by  its  close  relation  to  the  fate  of  the  kingdom 
of  God,  affected  me  not  less  than  the  former.  In  regard  to  this  I  can- 
not presume  upon  such  a  unity  with  you  and  your  fellow-countrymen. 
I  mean  the  shock  of  Christendom -through  Liberalism  since  July  1830. 
It  is  true  you  remarked  in  a  letter  to  Tholuck,  Feb.  1831,  "  That  you 
have  profited  so  much  by  my  lessons,  that  though  rejoicing  in  the 
progress  of  liberty  as  much  as  ever,  you  are  rather  cautious  to  see 
that  what  is  just  as  well  as  what  is  desirable  should  be  kept  in  view." 
But  when  the  "just"  and  the  "desirable"  become  placed  near  each 
other,  as  two  different  things  with  a  like  meaning,  then  indeed  does  this 
seem  far  different  from  the  lesson  which  Christ  the  Lord  taught  us, 
"  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness  (which  com- 
prehends all  that  is  "just")  and  all  these  things  (the  desirable)  shall  be 


22O  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  [1834. 

ADDED  unto  you."  Few  things  in  my  life  have  so  long  and  so  deeply 
affected  me  as  the  existence  of  Liberalism  and  its  relation  to  the 
Church  of  Christ  and  to  our  age.  If  therefore,  as  I  hope,  the  brotherly 
love  which  you  entertained  for  me  in  Berlin,  and  have  preserved  on 
the  other  side  of  the  ocean  by  letter,  still  dwells  in  your  heart,  then 
you  will  see  nothing  more  than  a  desire  for  brotherly  communication 
when  I  ask  you  to  read  what  I  have  written  since  the  July  revolution 
in  the  Evangelical  Church  Journal  upon  this  subject,  and  also  in 
regard  to  Church  power,  authority,  freedom,  etc.,  etc.  It  has  surely 
reached  you,  and  may  I  ask  you  to  express  yourself  to  me  freely 
thereon. 

Should  Christians  be  at  variance  on  such  grand  and  fundamental 
questions  ?  Is  it  not  a  disgrace  to  the  Church,  that  it  becomes 
divided  into  two  heads  by  political  ideas,  while  in  the  i6th  and  iyth 
centuries  religious  doctrines  divided  the  political  world  ?  Is  it  not  a 
shame  that  the  earnest  Christians  of  North  America  and  Scotland 
should  be  under  the  same  yoke  with  the  Roman  Catholic  O'Connell, 
and  the  deistical  and  atheistical  French  liberals  ? 

O,  that  the  Lord  would  gather  together  the  sheep  of  His  fold  !  That 
we  who  bear  the  name  of  Christ  were  at  all  points  of  like  mind  and 
heart !  What  victories  we  could  win  under  the  banner  of  our  Hea- 
venly King!  

With  the  most  sincere  brotherly  love,  yours  most  truly, 
Finished  Jan.  23,  1833.  LUDWIG  VON  GERLACH. 

A  LETTER    FROM    OTTO    VON    GERLACH.* 

BERLIN,  Feb.  28,  1834. 

My  Dear  Friend: — Three  years  have  already  flown  by  since  I 
received  your  friendly  letter,  and  during  all  this  time  I  have  left  it  un- 
answered. Meanwhile,  I  have  heard  with  many  heartfelt  sympathies 
of  your  great  bodily  affliction  which  you  have,  however,  if  not  alto- 
gether, yet  in  good  part  overlooked  for  the  sake  of  your  calling.  May 
the  Lord  soon  restore  you  to  health,  and  prepare  you  anew  both  in 
body  and  mind  for  the  responsible  position  you  hold.  It  has  given 
me  much  joy  to  receive  through  Mr.  Alexander!  news  from  Princeton 
and  America.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  school  of  Prof.  Stuart,  to 
judge  from  his  new  "Comentary  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,"  will 
become  the  source  of  many  heretical  opinions,  the  beginning  of  which 
lies  in  his  teaching  concerning  original  sin,  and  of  the  Son  of  God,  the 
eternal  Sonship  of  Christ.  I  think  it  an  excellent  thing  that  opposition 

*  "  The  Wesley  of  Berlin." 

f  Professor  Joseph  Addison  Alexander. 


VET.  36.]  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  2  2 1 

to  this  departure  from  the  true  doctrine  is  already  taken  at  Princeton. 
Moreover,  I  deem  it  a  happy  result  that  more  life  and  animation  in- 
fuse themselves  into  the  English  and  American  literature  through 
the  influence  of  German  theology.  In  England,  where  one  finds  so 
many  treasures  of  books,  and  where  Christian  life  especially  prevails, 
things  in  the  realm  of  theological  learning  are  at  a  greater  standstill 
than  ever  before.  With  us,  thanks  be  to  God,  prospects  have  greatly 
brightened  since  you  were  here.  In  Pomerania,  where  at  that  time  the 
first  great  revival  had  occurred,  the  number  of  orthodox  ministers  has 
more  than  ordinarily  increased.  In  one  region  there  were  seven  of 
them  in  immediate  neighborhood,  and  among  them  there  is  much 
genuine  sympathy  and  much  fellowship  in  the  service  of  the  Lord. 
The  Bishop  Ritschl  has  constantly  been  becoming  more  determined 
in  his  avowal  of  the  Gospel.  He  is  a  blessing  to  the  whole  province, 
favoring  everywhere  the  installation  of  Evangelical  ministers  and 
the  removal  of  the  incapable  and  vicious.  The  number  of  believing 
ministers  here  in  Berlin  has  increased.  You  are  aware  that  the 
Methodist  Minister  Gossner,  whom  we  have  so  often  heard  together, 
has  become  a  disciple  of  Janicke.  His  Church  is  crowded  at  all 
times,  and  his  labors  among  the  lower  orders  are  especially  rich  in 
blessings.  I  am  constantly  forming  the  acquaintance  of  persons  who 
hav.e  been  brought  into  the  Church  through  him.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Kuntze,  who  was  in  London  assistant  to  Dr.  Steinkopf  when  you  were 
here,  is  also  preaching  now  ;  and  for  the  past  year,  Rev.  Mr.  Arndt, 
a  pupil  of  Strauss,  has  been  laboring  with  churches  constantly  filled, 
and  his  labor  results  in  many  blessings.  Further,  no  one  of  our 
believing  pastors  has  been  called  away  by  death,  and  everywhere 
the  number  of  their  hearers  has  increased  rather  than  diminished.  Our 
missionary  society  is  in  a  very  prosperous  condition,  that  is,  when 
considered  from  a  German  and  not  from  an  American  or  English 
point  of  view.  Its  revenue  in  comparison  with  the  past  has  increased 
threefold  in  the  last  six  years,  and  it  now  has  thirty  missionary  posts. 
These  have  of  course  in  many  places  to  contest  vigorously  with  the 
authorities,  but  these  engagements  have  almost  always  resulted  suc- 
cessfully, and  they  have  brought  about  and  increased  brotherly 
relations.  Last  fall,  the  first  five  missionaries  were  sent  from  here  to 
South  Africa.  Since  they  were  detained  by  storms  a  long  while  on 
the  Isle  of  Wight,  the  latest  information  we  have  of  them  is  of  their 
being  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  The  number  of  ministerial  associations 
(Predigervereine)  has  greatly  increased  in  Germany.  In  Silesia,  in 
Prussia-Poland  and  in  Prussia  proper  they  are  in  part  quite  numer- 
ously attended.  The  persecutions  on  the  other  hand  on  the  part  of 
the  Consistories  have  only  begun  here  and  there. 


222  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  [  1 834. 

Thus  only  recently  a  society  in  Konigsberg,  which  was  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Ashansens,  was  suppressed  by  order  of  the  King, 
because  (a  striking  circumstance  which  calls  to  mind  the  heKo^ev 
faac  6  Saravaf  *)  two  of  the  ministers  had  become  crazy  for  the  ad- 
journment of  the  convention.  How  effective  Tholuck's  sermons  are 
at  present  in  Halle  you  will  hear  through  Mr.  Alexander.  An  old 
school-friend  of  mine,  together  with  his  wife,  has  lately  been  brought 
to  Christ  through  one  of  them.  The  Christian  work  is  progressing  in 
Prussia  as  in  several  other  of  the  German  lands.  Many  active  min- 
isters of  the  gospel  have  made  themselves  conspicuous  in  the  king- 
dom of  Hanover,  which  a  few  years  ago  was  apparently  dead.  In 
Gottingen  my  dear  friend  Julius  Miiller  has  become  the  university 
chaplain  ;  he  is  a  profound  and  righteous  man,  who  has  written  an 
article  against  Hegel's  philosophy  in  the  Studien  und  Kritiken.  He 
also  delivers  lectures  on  exegesis  and  practical  theology.  Lucke,  as 
you  know,  is  there  also.  He  is,  however,  at  present,  so  feeble  and 
undetermined,  that  I  would  not  be  surprised  to  hear  that  he  accom- 
plishes little.  In  several  of  the  cities  of  Hanover,  where  lately  the 
Christian  cause  was  entirely  dead,  there  are  now  active  ministers  of 
the  cross  of  Christ.  Especially  is  the  condition  of  the  free-city  Bre- 
men encouraging.  Five  ministers  are  laboring  there  with  great 
earnestness  and  effect.  They  are  aiding  each  other  in  their  wprk, 
and  a  struggle  between  light  and  darkness,  which  is  highly  interest- 
ing, has  begun  there.  In  Hamburg  the  rising  generation  give 
promise  of  quite  a  number  of  ministers  ;  while  the  old  people  are  for 
the  most  part  worldly  and  inclined  to  universalism.  The  most  dis- 
couraging outlook,  however,  is  in  middle  Germany.  In  Leipsic  and 
Jena  scepticism  is  prevalent,  and  particularly  in  the  province  of 
Saxony  matters  have  of  late  become  rather  worse  than  better.  You 
will  not  be  surprised  when  I  state  that  the  liberal  constitution  which 
that  unfortunate  land  has  received,  increases  still  more  this  sad  con- 
dition. In  Hesse  affairs  are  becoming  now  somewhat  more  en- 
couraging. 

At  Cassel  there  are  several  evangelists,  and  also  a  clergyman.  In 
Marburg  Kling,  the  editor  of  Flatfs  Lectures,  has  recently  become 
professor  of  theology.  The  worthy  Harless  has  now  become  professor 
extraordinary  at  Erlangen,  and  from  him  we  look  for  a  thorough 
commentary  on  the  epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  in  a  short  time.  Only 
in  Tubingen  does  the  future  seem  dark.  The  old  school  of  Storr, 
Flatt,  etc.,  is  now  completely  supplanted  by  the  followers  of  Schleier- 
macher,  as  Baur,  Hegel,  Strauss  and  others.  Steudel  has  very  few 

*  i  Thess.  2 :  J.8» 


^ET.  36.]  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  22$ 

hearers.  This  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  for  that  old  school  had  be- 
come too  indogmatical  and  too  partial  to  exegesis,  and  their  successors 
were  becoming  even  shallower. 

At  present  the  Prussian  lands  are  enjoying  in  general  the  richest 
blessings,  and  the  others  are  beginning  to  rise  from  their  wretched- 
ness. But  in  the  otherwise  so  greatly  blessed  Wurtemburg,  the  cause 
of  Christ  seems  to  be  greatly  in  danger  on  account  of  the  many 
sects  prevailing  there.  In  our  university  here  in  Berlin  things  appear 
in  many  respects  far  otherwise  than  they  did  six  years  ago.  Since 
the  evangelical  Kirchenzeitung  of  1830,  Neander  has  labored  in  much 
closer  connection  with  Schleiermacher,  and  withdraws  still  further 
from  Hengstenberg.  One  notices  this  especially  in  the  students, 
among  whom  since  that  time  it  appears  to  me  that  the  Christian  life 
has  been  sadly  lacking  in  decision.  On  the  other  hand,  since  that 
time,  Hengstenberg  has  had  many  hearers,  and  it  is  especially  pleas- 
ing that  so  many  thoroughly  energetic  disciples  of  Christ  have  at- 
tached themselves  to  him  and  to  me. 

You  have  probably  learned  ere  this  that  Dr.  Schleiermacher  died 
on  the  1 2th  of  February  of  this  year.  Up  to  the  eighth  day  before 
his  death  he  had  been  in  excellent  health,  and  had  read  with  me  for 
three  hours  daily.  Everything  is  now  in  great  commotion  over  the 
important  question  as  to  who  is  to  become  his  successor.  The  great 
majority  as  far  as  shown  by  open  manifestation  are  for  Twesten — 
particularly  so  is  Neander  and  his  followers,  together  with  all  the 
partizans  of  Schleiermacher.  On  the  other  hand  the  theological  faculty 
(to  which  Neander  at  present  does  not  belong)  has  come  forward 
with  a  request  to  the  Minister  to  call  Olshausen  ;  a  step  which  has 
caused  great  surprise.  Should  the  latter  be  called  I  would  be  more 
than  ordinarily  rejoiced,  for  notwithstanding  a  peculiar  weakness  of 
his,  I  regard  Olshausen  as  one  of  the  best  thinkers  and  most  deter- 
mined men  among  our  University  theologians.  His  commentary 
has  already  had  a  second  publication  in  two  volumes.  It  is  widely 
circulated  and  accomplishes  much  good.  Twesten,  on  the  other 
hand,  agrees  almost  altogether  with  Schleiermacher,  and  is  said  to 
be  a  worldly-minded,  fickle  man,  who  visits  the  theatre,  indulges  in 
high  living  and  neglects  in  this  manner  the  proprieties  of  his  vo- 
cation. 

After  this  much  of  public  news,  let  me  say  a  few  words  about  our 
friends  here  and  in  other  places.  Frau  von  Schonberg,  at  whose 
house  you  often  met  with  us,  has  dwelt  for  the  last  three  years  in 
Stettin,  where  her  husband  is  the  Ober-president  of  Pomerania. 
Her  quiet,  devout  disposition  and  her  energetic  love  have  accom- 
plished even  more  there  than  they  did  here,  where  she  labored  in  a 


224  GERMAN  CORRESPONDENCE.  [  1 834. 

more  retired  position.  She  is  helping  greatly  the  advancement  of 
the  cause  of  Christ.  Count  Groben  is  still  in  his  former  position.  It 
was  only  last  week  that  he  lost  his  only  and  very  amiable  daughter, 
yet  he  will  be  greatly  strengthened  in  the  Lord  by  this  calamity. 
Our  old  friend  Senfft  has  been  married  for  four  years,  and  already 
has  three  children.  He  has  an  excellent,  truly  Christian  wife,  and 
gives  evidence  of  being  happily  married.  He  heartily  returns  your 
greeting,  and  thinks  of  you  often  with  tender  love.  Focke  has  been 
in  very  poor  health  for  three  years,  so  that  we  have  often  indeed 
believed  that  God  wished  to  call  him  out  of  this,  to  him,  oppressive 
life.  However,  he  is  now  recovering  again  by  degrees,  and  we  hope 
yet  longer  to  keep  him  with  us.  The  old  venerable  Baron  Kottwitz 
is  still  living,  now  in  his  77th  year.  The  king  has  often  of  late 
shown  him  confidence  in  a  noteworthy  way,  and  he  has  thereby 
brought  it  about  that  four  new  churches  have  lately  been  built  in 
our  densely  populated  suburbs.  I  am  to  become  pastor  of  one  of 
them  in  a  few  months,  but  will  also  continue  to  lecture  in  the  univer- 
sity. 

The  great  gap  that  was  made  by  the  death  of  our  beloved  friend 
Le  Coq,  is  still  at  all  times  painfully  present  to  me.  You  will  be 
able  to  imagine  in  some  degree  how  sad  his  loss  was  to  us.  What  a 
lovely  image  of  our  Lord  shone  in  his  heart !  How  one  could  turn 
to  him  at  all  times,  and  ever  find  the  same  honest,  loving,  friendly 
heart,  the  same  desire  for  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Hengstenberg  has  been  married  also  for  some  time,  and  although 
"  considerably  under  thirty,"  yet  is  even  now  the  Dean  of  the  theo- 
logical faculty.  The  third  volume  of  his  "  Christologie  "  will  appear 
soon.  After  which  he  is  purposing  to  write  either  a  great  work  on  the 
authenticity  of  the  Pentateuch,  or  a  popular  commentary  on  the 
Psalms.  I  advise  him,  by  all  means,  to  undertake  the  former  of 
these  in  the  first  instance,  since  I  deem  a  critical  examination  of  the 
Pentateuch  as  the  most  important  work  for  a  Professor  of  the  Old 
Testament.  My  own  studies  draw  me  more  and  more  from  the  pe- 
culiar German  kind  of  scholarship.  I  am  inclined  too  much  to 
action,  too  greatly  adapted  to  church  work.  Hence  I  cannot  bury 
myself  so  to  speak,  among  my  books,  as  is  necessary  for  a  German 
scholar.  Yet  I  have  chosen  for  myself  a  subject  which  sooner  or 
later  will  prove  of  greater  importance,  if  God  gives  me  time  and 
strength,  viz.,  a  history  of  Christian  Church  government  in  connec- 
tion with  a  dogmatic  exposition  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Church. 

I  have  been  engaged  for  three  years  on  a  practical  edition  of  the 
Bible,  which  is  to  contain  the  Lutheran  text,  with  short  explanatory 
remarks.  The  printing  of  the  New  Testament  will  begin  this  sum- 


JET.  36.]  RELATIONS  WITH  HIS  BROTHER.  22$ 

mer.  For  the  future  I  am  purposing  to  found  near  my  parish  a  small 
Minister's  Seminary,  similar  to  that  of  Wittemberg,  but  "  non  salarie 
par  1'  etat" — but  upon  the  American  principle  of  disconnection  be- 
tween church  and  state.  You  have  perhaps  seen  my  plans  in  regard 
to  these  things  (much  talked  about  between  us  in  1827  and  '28)  in 
Tholuck's  "  Literary  Advertiser,"  of  1832,  where  the  article  upon 
"  The  re-arrangement  of  the  Church  Government  in  the  Evan- 
gelical Church"  was  written  by  me.  You  have  no  doubt  also  seen 
the  long  article  by  me,  which  appeared  in  the  September  number  of 
the  "  Evangelical  Church  Journal,"  for  last  year,  entitled,  "  Con- 
cerning the  cultivation  of  the  relations  between  Church  and  State  in 
the  Lutheran  and  Reformed  Churches."  In  regard  to  this,  your 
acquaintance  has  been  a  great  advantage  to  me  ;  for  without  it  I 
could  scarcely  have  become  acquainted  with  North  America  in  gen- 
eral, or  interested  myself  in  any  degree  in  it.  I  have  requested 
Mr.  Alexander  to  send  me  the  most  important  historical  works  on 
North  American  Church  history.  You  promised  me  this  six  years 
ago,  but  I  have  received  nothing.  May  I  ask  you  to  assist  him  with 
your  advice,  since  you  understand  me  and  my  needs. 

Now  I  must  conclude,  my  dear  friend,  ever  present  to  me  in  my 
thoughts.  Keep  for  me  across  the  ocean  your  sincere  love  until  we 
see  each  other  in  the  future,  where  we  may  embrace  without  sin  in 
the  society  of  the  blessed.  O !  may  no  one  of  all  those  who  are 
mentioned  in  this  letter  be  left  behind.  "  May  each  one  who  has 
such  hope  within  him,  purify  himself  even  as  he  is  pure,"  and  un- 
ceasingly seek  for  the  jewel  of  a  heavenly  calling.  With  the  request 
for  a  few  lines,  as  opportunity  may  offer, 

I  remain  in  sincere  love,  your  friend  and  brother, 

OTTO  VON  GERLACH. 

CORRESPONDENCE    WITH     HIS     BROTHER. 

CHILDREN,  FAMILY  RELATIONS  AND  RECREATIONS. 

During  all  these  years  he  exchanged  weekly  letters  with 
his  brother.  He  had  never  known  a  sister  nor  any  other 
brother.  They  were  only  eighteen  months  apart  in  age, 
and  in  childhood  and  youth  had  been  all  in  all  to  each 
other.  They  were  one  in  principles,  opinions  and  interests, 
temporal  and  spiritual.  Their  differences  of  character  and 
position  were  precisely  such  as  to  cause  them  to  be  mu- 
tually attracted  to  and  dependent  upon  each  other.  In  this 
15 


226  RELATIONS  WITH  HIS  BROTHER.          [i83O-'4o. 

correspondence  Dr.  Charles  Hodge's  whole  life,  inward  and 
outward,  personal  and  family,  lies  embalmed.  Through 
this  channel,  for  fifty-three  years,  from  his  settlement  in 
Princeton  in  1820,  to  his  brother's  death  in  1873,  he  poured 
out  without  reserve  all  the  contents  of  his  mind  and  heart. 
The  whole  is  a  singular  monument  of  that  brother's  nobility. 
The  Philadelphia  brother  was  the  elder,  with  much  more  of 
the  instinct  and  habit  of  the  anxious  care  taker  than  was 
proportioned  to  the  difference  of  age.  He  was  of  the  more 
cautious  disposition,  and  of  the  more  deliberate  and  cooler 
judgment.  He  was  a  skillful  and  experienced  physician. 
He  lived  in  a  great  city,  lately  the  seat  of  government  of 
the  United  States,  and,  at  the  time  of  which  we  write,  the 
ecclesiastical  metropolis  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
America.  After  his  practice  was  established,  and  he  had 
entered  upon  his  professorship  in  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  he  became  the  richer  of  the 
two.  Thus  it  came  to  pass,  that  in  all  things  he  was  his 
brother's  counsellor,  supporter  and  comforter.  Before  the 
days  of  railroads,  telegrams  and  express  agencies,  he  was 
the  unwearied  agent  for  the  execution  of  a  ceaseless  stream 
of  commissions.  No  matter  who  else  was  the  family 
physician,  every  detail  of  morbid  symptom  of  every  mem- 
ber of  the  Princeton  family  was  narrated  to  him,  and  his 
advice  sought,  and  often  his  personal  presence  asked  for 
and  obtained.  When  the  children  multiplied,  and  expenses 
with  them,  when  the  theological  professor's  salary  failed  to 
be  paid  for  months,  and  the  Editor  of  the  Repertory  was 
pressed  for  money  to  pay  its  bills,  for  which  the  returns 
from  subscription  were  at  first  entirely  inadequate,  the 
Philadelphia  brother,  with  inexhaustible  generosity,  came 
to  the  rescue  by  loans  and  absolute  gifts. 
£lt  was  during  these  years,  from  February,  1830,  to  De- 
cember, 1840,  that  Professor  Hodge's  six  youngest  children 
were  bornj"  The  letters,  like  an  echoing  gallery,  repeat  the 
voices  of  those  days,  and  bring  back  into  the  present,  not 


JET.  36.]  FAMIL  Y  LIFE.  22  J 

only  the  words  but  the  very  flush,  and  tone,  and  gesture  by 
which  his  love  for  and  delight  in  these  little  ones  is  ex- 
pressed. They  are  full  of  their  doings  and  sayings  and  of 
the  father's  joy  and  pride  and  hope  on  their  account.  [They 
were  at  every  age  and  at  all  times  allowed  free  access  to  him. 
If  they  were  sick,  he  nursed  them.  If  they  were  well,  he 
played  with  them.  If  he  were  busy,  they  played  about  him? 
'  His  study  had  two  doors,  one  opening  outward  towards  the 
Seminary  for  the  convenience  of  the  students,  and  a 
second  one  opening  inward  into  the  main  hall  of  the  home. 
Hence  his  study  was  always  the  family  thoroughfare^ 
through  which  -the  children,  boys  and  girls,  young  and  old, 
and  after  them  the  grandchildren,  went  in  and  out  for  work 
and  play.  When  he  was  too  lame  to  open  the  door,  and 
afterwards  when  he  was  too  busy  to  be  interrupted  by  that 
action,  he  took  the  latch  from  the  doors,  and  caused  them 
to  swing  in  obedience  to  gentle  springs,  so  that  the  least 
child  might  toddle  in  at  will  unhindered.  LHe  prayed  for 
us  all  at  family  prayers,  and  singly,  and  taught  us  to  pray: 
at  his  knees  with  such  soul-felt  tenderness,  that  however 
bad  we  were  our  hearts  all  melted  to  his  touch.  During 
later  years  he  always  caused  his  family  to  repeat  after  him 
at  morning  worship  the  Apostles'  Creed,  and  a  formula,  of 
his  own  composition,  professing  personal  consecration  to 
the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost]  But 
that  which  makes  those  days  sacred  in  the  retrospect  of  his 
children  is  the  person  and  character  of  the  father  himself 
as  discovered  in  the  privacy  of  his  home,  all  radiant  as  that 
was  with  love,  with  unwavering  faith,  and  with  unclouded 
hope. 

His  musical  tastes  and  talents  were  not  remarkable, 
yet  he  loved  good  music,  and  especially  singing,  which 
appealed  to  the  religious  affections.  His  older  children, 
remember  him  before  his  lameness  walking  up  and  down 
his  study  singing  devotional  hymns.  Finding  that  his 
second  son,  while  an  infant  on  the  knee,  discovered  special 


228  RECREATIONS.  [i83o-'4o. 

susceptibility  to  music,  he  revived  his  own  flute-playing, 
which  he  had  practiced  when  a  theological  student.  After- 
wards he  got  a  violin  for  his  boy,  and  the  grave  professor 
and  commentator  himself  used  it  until  he  had  acquired 
quite  a  respectable  skill. 

Partly  because  of  his  lameness,  and  partly  because  of  his 
taste,  he  always  kept  a  single  horse  or  pair  from  1832  until 
his  death.  Partly  to  provide  for  their  support,  and  partly 
for  his  own  recreation,  he  purchased  November,  1830,  six 
acres  of  ground,  immediately  adjoining  the  Seminary  pro- 
perty to  the  westward.  To  these  he  subsequently  added 
by  purchase,  two  acres  in  the  spring  of  1832.  He  culti- 
vated these  lots  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  with 
great  interest  and  success.  He  manured  and  limed  and 
drained  them  in  the  most  advanced  methods.  He  raised 
the  best  crops,  of  the  finest  quality  and  largest  quantity  in 
proportion  to  his  ground,  known  in  the  neighborhood. 
Successes  of  this  kind  pleased  him  very  much,  and  the  only 
boasting  his  most  intimate  friends  ever  in  all  his  life  knew 
him  to  express  by  word  or  look,  came  from  him  colored 
with  a  boy's  enthusiasm  in  view  of  such  achievements  as 
these  effected  through  the  instrumentality  of  his  hired  man. 
Especially  was  this  the  case  when  on  some  occasion  he 
exhibited  to  a  farmer  or  other  competent  judge  some  high- 
bred calf  or  colt  he  had  raised.  He  intelligently  appre- 
ciated and  heartily  delighted  in  all  the  points  which  exhibited 
and  proved  their  perfection  of  type  and  style,  and  their 
physical  excellence  in  general.  To  the  end  of  his  life  he 
delighted  in  fine  horses,  and  would  listen  with  animated 
interest  to  the  conversation  of  gentlemen  who  also  happened 
to  be  connoisseurs  in  horse  lore,  and  were  describing  the 
perfections  of  some  celebrated  horse,  or  narrating  his 
achievements  on  the  road  or  course. 


;ET.  34.]  HIS  MOTHERS  DEATH.  2 29 

DEATH    OF    HIS    MOTHER. 

Qn  April,  1832,  his  beloved  mother  died  after  a  brief  ill- 
ness, so  unexpectedly)  that  her  youngest  son,  although  he 
used  all  diligence,  was  unable  to  reach  her  bed-side  until 
after  her  departure.  As  soon  as  he  returned  to  Princeton 
after  her  funeral,  he  wrote  to  his  brother: 

"  I  was  much  mistaken  in  thinking  I  should  have  little  compara- 
tively to  call  dear  mother  to  mind.  Almost  everything,  I  find,  is  in 
some  way  associated  with  her.  So  many  articles  of  clothing  of  the 
children,  so  many  of  their  books  and  playthings,  and  so  many  of  my 
own  clothes  bear  marks  of  her  care,  that  she  is  constantly  recalled  to 
our  recollection.  The  loveliness  of  the  children  now  gives  a  mourn- 
ful pleasure,  as  I  know  that  the  eyes  which  would  have  looked  on  it 
with  so  much  delight,  are  now  closed.  But  constant  recollection  of  the 
mercy  of  God  to  her  and  to  us,  the  thought  of  how  much  everything 
has  been  ordered  as  she  would  have  wished,  soothes  and  satisfies 
me.  I  feel  very  much  for  you,  my  dear  brother.  Great  as  I  feel  my 
own  loss  to  be,  I  know  yours  is  greater.  You  have  a  daily  and  sen- 
sible void  in  your  circle  of  duties  and  enjoyments.  But  as  you  have 
more  to  mourn  for,  you  have  more  to  console  you.  You  were  the 
chief  earthly  stay  and  comfort  of  our  dear  parent,  and  most  of  the 
happiness  of  this  world  which  she  enjoyed  came  through  you.  You 
too  had  the  inexpressible  satisfaction  of  being  with  her  to  the  last ; 
of  seeing  and  receiving  the  evidences  of  her  confidence  in  her  Re- 
deemer, and  the  assurances  of  her  love.  So  dear  brother  you  have 
every  consolation  of  which  such  an  affliction  can  admit. 

Your  loving  brother,  C.  H." 

In  July  and  August  of  that  year,  the  Asiatic  Cholera 
prevailed  in  this  part  of  America  for  the  first  time.  Its 
character  and  the  condition  of  its  progress  appeared  mys- 
terious; its  virulence  baffled  the  skill  of  the  physicians,  and 
its  ravages  were  dreadful.  Four  citizens  of  Princeton  fell 
victims  to  it  that  season,  and  quite  a  number  of  the  laborers 
on  the  canal  and  stragglers  from  the  road  came  into  the 
village  hospital  to  die.  Mr.  Hodge  was  very  active  in  as- 
certaining from  the  most  competent  sources  the  proper 
treatment  of  the  disease,  and  in  visiting  the  patients  in  per- 


230  POLITICS.  [1831. 

son,  and  in  making  arrangements  for  their  comfort.  Every 
case  and  its  treatment  was  made  a  subject  of  consultation 
with  his  brother.  The  son  as  well  as  the  brother  of  a  physi- 
cian, and  having  in  early  manhood  attended  lectures  on 
anatomy  and  physiology,  he  always  took  the  greatest  inter- 
est in  reading  upon  and  discussing  medical  questions,  and 
in  cases  of  necessity,  was  himself  capable  of  acting  the  part 
of  a  respectable  practitioner. 

POLITICS. 

[He  was  always  an  attentive  and  interested  witness  of 
political  events,  and  entertained  and  expressed  the  most 
decided  opinions.  He  was  trained  by  his  family  in  the 
opinions  of  the  old  Federalist  party  of  Washington,  Hamil- 
ton and  Madison,  and  he  held  them  tenaciously  as  principles 
to  the  end  of  his  life.  He  had  a  poor  opinion  of  President 
Jackson,  and  of  the  Locofoco  party,  and  was  a  warm  advo- 
cate of  the  protective  tariff,  and  of  the  United  States  Bank. 
He  always  adhered  to  the  old  Whig  party  until  its  death ; 
then  in  1857  voted  for  Fremont,  the  first  Republican  candi- 
date for  the  Presidency,  and  continued  to  be  a  decided  Re- 
publican as  long  as  he  lived] 

He  writes  to  his  brother,  October  ist,  1831  : 

My  Dear  Brother: — The  commencement  passed  off  much  in  the 
usual  manner.  As  I  seldom  attend  on  such  occasions  I  cannot  speak 
of  it  from  personal  knowledge.  Mr.  Dallas'  oration  on  the  preced- 
ing afternoon  was  better  than  that  of  Forsyth  the  year  before,  but 
still  very  deficient  in  solid  worth.  The  only  production  of  this  kind 
which  seems  to  have  given  much  satisfaction  generally  was  that  of 
Mr.  Wirt.  He,  it  seems,  is  the  anti-masonic  candidate  for  president. 
I  wish  he  could  succeed.  But  this  splitting  up  the  anti- Jackson  men 
into  Calhoun,  Clay  and  Wirt  factions  will  only  secure  their  own 
defeat,  and  burden  the  country  with  the  present  miserable  incumbent^ 
for  another  term.  The  apathy  of  the  people  in  respect  to  his  miscon- 
duct is  of  serious  omen  for  the  future.  The  missionaries  in  Georgia 
are  probably,  through  his  desertion,  by  this  time  condemned  to  the 
penitentiary  for  four  years !  [Verily,  I  think  I  could  in  such  a  case 


-ffiT.35-1  POLITICS.  231 

join  a  rebellion,  with  a  clear  conscience,  as  I  am  sure  I  could  with  a 
full  heart]  But  not  a  voice  is  raised  on  the  subject.  The  dreadful 
excitement  on  the  negro  question  will  absorb  all  interest  in  the  South 
for  a  time.  I  heard  to-day  that  fresh  murders  had  been  committed, 
and  that  one  planter  had  called  up  four  of  his  slaves,  and  caused 
them  to  be  shot  without  the  pretence  of  a  trial,  and  that  it  was  feared 
a  dreadful  massacre  of  the  blacks  might  yet  occur.  The  papers  state 
that  tortures  are  resorted  to  to  extort  confessions ;  that  the  suspected 
are  flogged  to  make  them  confess  and  disclose.  This  is  a  most  de- 
plorable state  of  things,  and  will  serve  to  exasperate  the  feelings  of 
the  South  against  the  North,  although  it  be  more  than  ever  unrea- 
sonable. Your  brother,  C.  H. 

TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

March  10,  1832. 

The  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  has  filled  all  hearts  here  with 
gratitude  and  joy.  The  memory  of  these  judges  will  be  cherished  as 
long  as  good  men  live  in  America.  It  is  the  most  important  decision, 
taking  all  things  into  view,  which  that  court  ever  made.  Jackson 
men  here,  at  least  the  best  of  them,  say  they  will  stand  by  the  Court 
in  preference  to  their  master,  and  I  hope  there  will  be  enough  equally 
well  principled  to  cause  it  to  be  the  course  of  policy  to  execute  the 
laws.  Your  brother,  C.  H. 

TO  THE  SAME. 

December  15,  1832. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  rejoice  with  you  over  the  President's  pro- 
clamation— it  is  excellent,  worthy  of  Washington  in  doctrine  and 
spirit.  I  presume  it  was  written  by  Taney,  the  Attorney  General, 
who  is  a  Federalist.  Livingston  took  different  ground,  I  remember 
in  his  speech  on  nullification  in  the  Senate  from  that  assumed  in  the 
Proclamation.  He  differed  from  Webster,  especially  where  Webster 
and  Jackson  coincide.  That  is  as  to  the  origin  of  the  Government. 
Webster  and  the  Proclamation  saying  that  it  was  formed  by  the  peo- 
ple of  all  the  states  as  a  whole.  Livingston  maintaining  that  it  was 
a  compact  between  the  several  states  as  such.  I  conclude,  therefore, 
that  he  is  not  the  author  of  this  paper.  Besides  its  whole  spirit  is  too 
elevated.  It  is  a  striking  proof  of  Jackson's  imbecilityjthat  he  can 
put  his  name  with  so  much  composure  to  documents  which  differ  so 
entirely  in  doctrine  as  the  Veto  Message  and  the  Proclamation.  I 
should  feel  still  more  rejoiced  at  the  character  of  the  latter  if  I  thought 
the  old  gentleman  really  understood  it,  or  knew  what  he  said.  I 
should  not  be  surprised  to  find  that  when  called  to  act  on  the  princi- 


232  POLITICS.  [  1 833. 

pies  just  avowed,  he  should  allow  Amos  Kendall  to  prepare  a  pro- 
clamation worthy  of  the  most  atrocious  Jacobin,  and  sign  it  without 
remorse,  or  even  the  consciousness  of  his  folly.  Still  what  we  have 
is  a  great  good,  for  which  we  should  be  thankful.  And  if  the  Presi- 
dent be  true  to  his  text,  I  would  be  for  voting  him  a  statue  and  for 
evoking  the  spirit  of  Phidias  to  make  it. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 

TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

January  23,  1833. 

My  Dear  Brother: — We  should  all  be  very  thankful  that  God  has 
led  Jackson  to  do  his  duty  in  the  present  crisis  so  promptly  and  ably. 
I  like  the  Proclamation,  however,  better  than  the  Message,  though 
the  latter  will  do.  The  true  policy  now  for  the  Nullifiers  is  to  secede 
from  the  Union  (/.  <?.,  according  to  their  own  principles).  Their  laws 
and  ordinance  rendered  the  collection  of  the  revenue  under  the 
existing  laws  of  the  Government  out  of  the  question.  Jackson  pro- 
poses to  alter  those  so  as  to  secure  the  revenue,  and  render  nugatory 
all  that  Carolina  has  done.  If  they  go  no  further  they  are  ridiculous. 
Besides  standing  on  the  ground  of  nullification  they  stand  alone. 
The  whole  South  as  well  as  West  and  North  pronounce  that  a  heresy 
— but  the  advocates  of  the  right  of  secession  are  ten  to  one  to  those 
who  advocate  nullification.  As  soon  as  they  assume  the  position  of 
seceders,  they  have  the  opinion  and  sympathy  of  a  large  portion 
of  the  South  in  their  favor.  If  Virginia  holds  the  right  of  secession 
how  can  she  either  aid  or  allow  the  exercise  of  that  right  being  de- 
nied to  a  sister  state  ?  Beside  the  casus  contemplated  in  the  ordi- 
nance has  so  nearly  arrived  should  the  President's  suggestions  be 
acted  upon,  that  it  would  be  folly  in  them  to  think  of  hesitating  for  a 
moment. 

This  seems  to  me  so  clearly  the  policy  of  these  disorganizers  that 
I  much  fear  they  will  pursue  it,  and  then,  unless  God  in  mercy  pre- 
vents, we  shall  have  hard  times. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 

TO    THE    SAME. 

January  28th,  1834. 

My  Dear  Brother : — Nothing,  I  think,  has  yet  appeared  compara- 
ble to  Binney's  speech,  except  Webster's  short  expose  of  his  views. 
Gold  coin  drops  from  his  lips  whenever  he  opens  his  mouth.  He  is 
still  among  the  statesmen  facile  primus. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 


MT.  39.]  POLITICS.  233 


TO   THE   SAME. 

August  ist,  1837. 

My  Dear  Brother : — Is  it  true  that  Maryland  is  going  with  the  Ad- 
ministration ? ! !  It  is  beyond  all  comprehension,  and  affords 
another  proof  of  the  (ascendency  of  the  rabble^  fff  we  could  have  a 
Republic  with  the  right  of  suffrage  restricted  to  householders,  who 
can  read  and  write,  and  have  been  at  least  ten  years  in  the  country, 
we  could  get  along  grandly.  But  a  democracy  with  universal  suffrage 
will  soon  be  worse  than  an  aristocracy  with  Queen  Victoria  at  the 
head.  I  feel  such  an  interest  in  that  youthful  sovereign,  that  I  could 
acknowledge  her  authority  with  far  more  complacency  than  that  of 
Martin  Van  Buren.| 

""  Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

TO    THE    SAME. 

January  pth,  1834. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  have  been  reading  Major  Downing's  Life 
and  Letters.  It  is  a  most  excellent  and  useful  book  !  not  merely  for 
excellent  humor  and  point,  but  for  a  complete  exhibition  of  the  whole 
nature,  machinery  and  chicanery  of  American  politics.  It  is  grand. 
There  are  a  multitude  of  letters  which  I  never  saw  in  the  papers,  and 
some  of  the  best  of  the  Portland,  or  real  Major's  production.  Of  the 
New  York  Major  there  are  only  two  or  three  given  by  way  of  appen- 
dix. Your  brother,  C.  H. 

TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

August  I7th,  1837. 

!  My  Dear  Brother : — It  seems  that,  notwithstanding  all  the  country 
has  suffered,  the  elections  are  going  in  favor  of  Van  Buren,  almost 
as  much  as  ever.  \L  do  not  believe  we  can  stand  it  much  longer. 
We  must  get  rid  of  universal  suffrage  or  we  shall  go  to  ruin7 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 

TO    THE    SAME. 

June  7th,  1839. 

My  Dear  Brother : — The  little  Queen  has  my  hearty  approbation  ! 
Which  she  will  no  doubt  appreciate  duly.  Sir  Robert  Peel  has  made 
a  great  mistake  as  far  as  I  can  see.  He  moved  too  soon.  He  ought 
not  to  have  displaced  the  ministry  until  his  road  was  clear,  but  hav- 
ing done  it,  to  be  frightened  back  by  these  ladies  of  the  bed-chamber, 
appears  ridiculous. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 


234  LAMENESS.  [1833. 

Although  heartily  and  conscientiously  an  American 
patriot,  maintaining  that  the  United  States  is  a  Nation,  and 
loving  it  and  admiring  its  institutions  as  more  excellent 
than  those  of  any  other,|he  was  ever  proud  of  his  part  in 
the  inheritance  of  Anglo-Saxon  traditions  and  glories. 
Great  Britain  was  loved  and  honored  as  the  Mother- 
country,  and  her  history  and  prestige  were  sacred  to  him? 
Above  all  was  he  a  life-long  admirer  of  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington, and  the  history  of  all  of  his  campaigns  and  battles 
was  known  to  him  in  all  its  various  versions  and  critical 
details, 

LAMENESS. 

The  portion  of  his  life  allotted  to  this  chapter  was  for  the 
greater  part  a  long  scene  of  severe  physical  suffering  and 
confinement.  His  affliction  was  an  obscure  affection  of  the 
thigh  of  the  right  leg ;  as  to  the  nature  and  proper  treat- 
ment of  which  different  opinions  were  given  by  different 
physicians ;  and  the  views  of  the  same  physicians  wavered 
with  the  changing  aspects  of  the  case.  The  final  judgment 
was  that  it;  was  an  inflammation  of  the  thigh -joint,  which 
was  arrested  by  entire  rest  and  depleting  treatment  in  its 
earlier  stages,  after  which  the  cold  douche  and  gradual  ex- 
ercise restored  the  tone  and  usefulness  of  the  limb. 

He  had  suffered  much  pain,  and  undergone  treatment  for 
the  same  trouble  in  the  earliest  years  of  his  professorship. 
During  his  residence  of  two  years  in  Europe,  he  was  almost 
entirely  relieved  from  any  inconvenience  from  this  source, 
so  that  he  was  able  to  climb  over  the  ascents  and  the  gla- 
ciers of  the  Alps  for  days.  A  result  which  Mr.  Hodge 
attributed  to  the  salubrity  of  the  climate.  After  he  came 
home,  for  the  first  four  years,  he  suffered  only  as  he  was 
limited  in  his  powers  of  locomotion,  by  the  weakness  and 
tenderness  of  that  leg.  But  in  the  spring  of  1833,  he  was 
commissioned  to  canvass  the  Presbyterian  Churches  of  the 
city  of  New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  money  for 


^T.  35-41.]  LAMENESS.  235 

the  erection  of  the  new  chapel  for  Princeton  Seminary.  He 
made  several  visits  to  the  city,  and  spent  many  days  in 
going  over  its  vast  distances  on  foot.  The  result  was  a 
violent  and  permanent  aggravation  of  his  disease.  The 
pain  became  severe,  the  distress  occasioned  by  walking  un- 
bearable, and  the  limb  shrank  in  size.  He  returned  home, 
and  was  put  almost  at  once  upon  his  back,  and  subjected  to 
a  most  violent  system  of  counter-irritants.  While  in  Phila- 
delphia consulting  several  eminent  physicians,  Dr.  Archi- 
bald Alexander  wrote  to  him  from  Princeton,  August  iSth, 
1838: 

PRINCETON,  August  i8th,  1838. 

My  Dear  Sir : — I  hope  you  will  not  suffer  your  mind  to  be  dis- 
turbed about  Seminary  affairs.  It  is  in  every  way  for  the  interest  of 
the  institution  that  you  should  take  the  most  effectual  measures  for 
the  restoration  of  your  health.  Make  this  for  the  present  your  only 
object.  Composure  of  mind  is  one  of^  the  best  medicines  in  all 
diseases.  "  Be  careful  for  nothing."  Roll  all  your  burdens  on  the 
Lord.  He  knows  best  how  to  dispose  of  you,  and  what  afflictions 
are  necessary.  We  shall,  I  trust,  get  along  very  comfortably  here. 
The  students,  when  I  was  attacked,  wished  to  have  a  suspension  of 
all  exercises  for  a  week  or  two,  but  it  was  judged  inexpedient. 
Several,  however,  have  gone  home,  and  will  not  return  this  session. 
Yours,  affectionately,  A.  ALEXANDER. 

When  Mr.  Hodge  came  back  he  was  put  flat  upon  his 
back  upon  a  hard  paliasse,  resting  upon  a  narrow  couch, 
moving  on  rollers.  The  policy  of  absolute  rest  was  tried 
in  the  first  instance,  his  body  was  perfectly  and  rigidly 
horizontal,  and  his  right  leg  fixed  immovably  in  a  wooden 
splint.  For  months  he  was  kept  in  that  position,  night  and 
day,  without  change,  until  at  last  it  was  only  gradually,  and 
interrupted  by  many  turns  of  faintness  and  dizziness,  that 
he  could  be  accustomed  again  to  assume  a  sitting  or  stand- 
ing position.  In  January,  1834,  the  methods  of  cure  began 
to  be  so  far  ameliorated  that  his  limb  was  released  from  the 
wooden  splint,  which  was  replaced  by  a  splint  made  of 


236  HIS  STUDY  CHAIR.  [1839. 

straps  of  steel,  more  elastic  and  capable  of  being  easily  car- 
ried while  he  was  in  a  vertical  position,  and  of  being  put 
on  or  off  as  occasion  required.  While  reclining  horizon- 
tally, by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  time  upon  his  couch,  he 
now  began  to  move  somewhat  about  upon  crutches.  In 
June,  1834,  he  tried  sea-bathing  at  Old  Point  Comfort,  the 
site  of  Fortress  Monroe,  Virginia.  During  August  of  the 
same  year  he  tried  the  same  agency  with  little  effect  at 
Cape  May,  New  Jersey.  On  his  return  he  was  again  almost 
entirely  confined  to  the  house,  andCby  far  the  greater  part 
of  the  time  to  a  horizontal  position]  He  slept  by  himself 
in  the  back  parlor,  where  after  so  many  years  he  died.  His 
couch  occupied  during  the  day,  from  September,  1833,  pre- 
cisely the  same  position  in  his  study  as  that  subsequently 
occupied  by  his  chair  until  the  time  of  his  death,  a  period 
of  forty-five  years.  The  chair  in  which  all  his  students 
and  surviving  friends  remember  to  have  seen  him  either 
sitting  or  reclining  was  given  to  him  by  his  brother,  Novem- 
ber, 1839,  and  was  thenceforward  used  by  him  exclusively 
as  long  as  he  lived.  Indeed  he  did  not  leave  it  until  about 
the  end  of  his  last  sickness.  He  said  pathetically  a  few 
days  before  he  died,  "  this  chair  and  I  for  forty  years  have 
been  growing  to  each  other  very  closely."  This  fact  is  a 
striking  and  characteristic  illustration  of  his  constitutional 
trait  of  conservatism — forty-five  years  reclining  and  sitting, 
reading,  writing,  praying  and  talking  in  one  spot  of  one 
room,'  During  all  these  years  also  he  omitted  on  no  single 
morning,  when  at  home,  to  record  the  direction  of  the 
wind,  and  the  state  of  the  thermometer,  and  of  the  sky. 
He  likewise,  until  almost  his  last  years,  resisted  all  the 
efforts  made  by  a  younger  generation  to  induce  him  to  have 
his  clothes  made  elsewhere  than  at  the  same  old  shop 
which  he  had  patronized  from  the  first,  through  all  its  suc- 
cession of  occupants.  \There  was  no  element  of  his  nature 
inclined  to  new  measures,  any  more  than  to  new  doctrines. 
During  this  time,  from  the  early  autumn  of  1833  to 


>ET.  3S-4L]  HIS  LAMENESS.  237 

1836,  he  was  most  heroically  treated  with  violent  counter- 
irritants.  His  hip,  and  thigh,  and  knee  were  over  and  over 
again  blistered,  cupped,  rubbed  with  tartar  emetic  and 
iodine ;  treated  with  issues,  and  setons,  and  the  moxa,  i.  e.y 
burnt  with  actual  fire  from  the  hip  to  the  knee.  All  this 
he  bore,  not  only  with  bravery  and  resignation,  but  with 
habitual  cheerfulness,  and  continued  without  serious  inter- 
ruption, constantly  engaged  in  his  studies  and  writing.  In 
the  fall  of  1834,  his  distinguished  friend,  Professor  Joseph 
Henry,  brought  his  battery  to  Mr.  Hodge's  study  and 
applied  galvanism  to  his  limb,  without  any  known  effect. 
In  the  spring  of  1838,  he  believed  that  he  had  made  no 
progress  toward  recovery,  and  becoming  impatient  of  the 
old  methods,  he  urgently  pressed  upon  his  physicians  the 
propriety  of  his  trying  either  the  hot  springs  of  Baden  in 
Germany,  or  those  of  Virginia.  After  much  discussion 
and  many  plans,  he  settled  down  to  trying  the  effect  first 
of  warm  baths,  and  then  in  October,  1838,  of  the  cold 
douche  upon  his  lame  hip  and  thigh,  in  his  own  home. 
With  the  use  of  the  latter,  the  tone  and  strength  of  the 
limb  gradually  returned,  and  [he  slowly  increased  his  exer- 
cise, and  laid  aside  first  one  crutch  and  then  the  other,  and 
finally  settled  down  upon  the  support  of  a  cane  which  he 
used  until  the  end  of  his  life,  f 

All  this  time  of  languishing  pain  and  confinement,  his 
general  health  was  preserved  almost  in  perfection.  He  not 
only  was  well,  but  he  appeared  to  others  unusually  fresh 
and  youthful.  This  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  strength  of 
his  constitution — the  placidity  and  sunny  cheerfulness  of  his 
disposition,  his  Christian  faith,  and  his  remarkable  tempe- 
rance in  food,  and  regularity  of  habit.  Few  men  have  ever 
been  known  who  possessed  a  more  complete  control  over 
their  appetites,  and  although  his  emotions  were  always 
strong,  and  on  occasion  uncontrollable,  he  was  characterized 
to  a  remarkable  degree  by  the  faculty  and  habit  of  throwing 
off  from  his  mind  all  painful  or  disagreeable  subjects.  On 


238  HIS  LAMENESS.  [1833-40. 

December  3d,  1834,  he  writes  to  his  brother,  "  I  have  not 
walked  across  the  room  without  a  crutch  for  a  year  and 
a  half."  He  has  marked  as  a  note  attached  to  his  daily 
record  of  the  weather,  under  date  of  July  i6th,  1842, 
"  Preached  in  Elizabethtown  for  the  first  time  since  1833  j" 
that  is  this  was  the  first  instance  of  his  preaching  in  that 
time.  Again,  under  the  date  of  September  i8th,  1842, 
"  Preached  in  the  Chapel  for  the  first  time."  And  on  the 
ijQth  of  June,  1843,  "Walked  to  town  (the  village)  for  the 
first  time  in  ten  years.3 

During  the  worst  of  this  time,  the  latter  part  of  1833  and 
the  first  of  1834,  he  employed  at  his  own  expense,  with  the 
assistance  of  a  friend  or  two,  of  whom  the  sainted  Dr.  Miller 
was  the  principal,  the  Rev.  Austin  O.  Hubbard,  of  the  last 
graduating  class,  as  an  assistant.  Mr.  Hubbard  relieved 
him  of  the  Hebrew,  while  Mr.  Hodge  continued  to  lecture 
on  Introduction  and  Exegesis.  Mr.  Joseph  Addison  Alex- 
ander was  appointed  assistant  in  his  department,  and  en- 
tered upon  its  duties  immediately  upon  his  return  from 
Europe  in  May,  1834 — declined  his  election  of  Adjunct 
Professor  of  Oriental  and  Biblical  Literature  in  1835,  and 
accepted  it,  and  was  formally  installed  in  1838. 

From  the  summer  of  1833  to  the  22dj)f  February,  1836, 
with  a  trifling  exception,  in  June,  1834,' Dr.  Hodge  met  his 
classes  in  his  own  housed  sometimes  in  the  study  and 
sometimes  in  the  back  parlor.  The  rooms  being  crowded 
up  to  the  edge  of  his  couch  with  settees  during  class  time, 
while  during  the  intervals  the  settees  were  pushed  together 
to  the  walls. 

Meantime,  it  was  evident  that  he  was  conducting  his 
studies  and  using  his  pen  under  the  most  serious  physical 
embarrassments.  From  1833  to  1840  inclusive,  he  wrote 
twenty-eight  articles  for  the  Repertory,  besides  reading  and 
editing  all  the  rest.  While  at  the  worst,  lying  perfectly 
horizontal,  and  at  times,  at  least,  with  his  right  leg  in  a 
splint,  he  wrote  his  reviews  of  Stuart  on  the  Romans,  and 


JET.  38.]  GATHERINGS  IN  THE  STUDY.  239 

of  Barnes  on  the  Romans,  his  two  articles  on  the  Act  and 
Testimony,  which  shook  the  Church,  and  shaped  its  history, 
and  his  own  commentary  on  the  Romans.  He  learned 
then  to  write  upon  a  board  covered  with  leather  held  upon 
his  breast  by  his  left  arm.  This, plan  he  practiced  exclu- 
sively until  1853,  when  he  was  with  some  difficulty  induced 
by  his  wife  to  substitute  for  the  board  the  table,  which  in 
the  wood-cut  of  the  study  is  represented  as  standing  at  the 
side  of  the  chair.  His  later  articles,  commentaries  and  his 
"  Systematic  Theology,"  were  written  sitting  at  that  table. 
While  confined  to  his  couch  his  books  were  placed  in  part 
in  a  revolving  case,  and  stood  in  every  available  place  on 
stands  and  chairs  by  his  side,  while,  of  course,  at  that  time 
he  fell  back  constantly  upon  the  assistance  of  members  of 
his  family,  to  get  his  books  and  place  them  in  convenient 
positions,  and  to  read  to  him  while  he  copied  or  translated 
passages  for  quotation. 

THE  GATHERINGS  IN  THE  STUDY. 

The  fact  of  his  long  confinement,  and  the  further  fact  that 
he  was  in  age  and  general  qualities  the  central  man,  the 
common  bond  of  intercourse  and  action  among  the  Prince- 
ton Professors  of  that  day,  caused  his  study  to  be  for  many 
years  the  meeting  place  and  intellectual  exchange  of  both 
Institutions.  Here  during  all  these  years  the  faculty  of 
the  Seminary  held  all  its  meetings.  Here  the  Associa- 
tion of  gentlemen  which  conducted  the  Repertory  met 
for  the  reading  and  criticism  of  articles,  and  for  the 
discussion  and  decision  of  the  policy  of  the  Review. 
Here  all  debates  and  consultations  of  general  interest 
were  held,  and  here  literary  strangers,  visitors  to  either 
Institution,  were  brought  to  meet  the  gentlemen  of  the 
town.  Here  almost  every  night  for  long  years  came 
Professors  Dod  and  Maclean,  and  frequently  Professors 
James  W.  Alexander,  Joseph  Henry,  and  the  older  Profes- 
sors, A.  Alexander,  and  Samuel  Miller,  President  Carnahan, 


240          CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  BROTHER.         [1838. 

and  frequently  when  visiting  the  town,  Professors  Vethake 
and  Torrey,  and  Dr.  John  W.  Yeomans.  Thus  at  least 
in  the  eyes  of  the  young  sons,  gleaming  out  from  the 
corners,  from  the  shadows  of  which  they  looked  on  with 
breathless  interest,  this  study  became  the  scene  of  the  most 
wonderful  debates,  and  discourse  on  the  highest  themes  of 
philosophy,  science,  literature,  theology,  morals  and  poli- 
tics. When  Professor  Dod  was  here  alone,  the  time  was  also 
improved  by  playing  chess,  at  which  he  was  a  distinguished 
master.  Mr.  Hodge  at  that  time  attained  to  such  skill  in 
this  intellectual  game,  that  he  held  his  own  respecta- 
bly, not  only  with  his  habitual  antagonist,  Professor  Dod, 
but  also  upon  occasion  even  with  Professor  Henry  Vethake 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished chess  players  of  the  United  States. 

PROF.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

August  2d,  1836. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  am  glad  you  were  in  season  to  welcome 
your  fourth  son  into  the  world.  There  is  no  reason  for  turning  up 
your  nasal  member  at  boys.  They  are  not  to  be  despised.  Happy 
is  the  man  who  has  his  quiver  full  of  them,  he  shall  talk  with  his 
enemy  in  the  gate,  jjf  he  turns  out  to  be  a  good  man,  that  is  better, 
because  a  harder  and  a  rarer  thing  than  a  good  womaru)  Train  him 
up  in  the  right  way,  and  leave  the  result  to  God. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

TO    THE    SAME. 

January  nth,  1838. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  have  had  Dr.  Sweet  to  see  me  !  What  a 
fall  was  there,  my  countrymen  !  I,  the  son,  the  brother,  the  hus- 
band (?),  the  father,  it  may  be,  of  a  doctor,  harboring  a  quack, 
illiterate  and  presumptuous.  I  suppose  you  will  cut  my  acquaintance 
instanter.  You  must  at  least  admire  my  courage  in  telling  you.  Send 
me  a  dose  of  prussic  acid. 

Yesterday  afternoon  when  I  came  from  recitation  I  found  a  plain, 
respectable  old  gentleman,  about  sixty,  sitting  in  my  study  waiting 
my  return.  He  handed  me  a  letter  from  a  clerical  friend,  begging 


JET.  40.]     CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  BROTHER.          241 

to  introduce  Dr.  Sweet,  who,  he  assured  me,  had  been  effecting  a 
multitude  of  marvelous  cures  in  his  neighborhood,  and  entreating 
me  not  to  allow  the  fear  of  quackery  to  induce  me  to  decline  his 
services.  Here  then  was  the  man  himself,  of  whom  I  had  heard  so 
much,  who  had  been  recommended  to  me  by  lawyers,  bishops,  mer- 
chants, ministers,  sent  without  any  agency  or  preconcert  of  my  own. 
Was  this  not  Providential  ?  Would  it  not  be  a  foolhardy  rejection  of 
a  chance  of  relief  to  turn  my  back  upon  his  offers  of  assistance  ?  I 
confess  I  thought  so,  and  felt  quite  moved.  On  conversing  with  him 
I  found  he  was  ignorant  to  a  wonder.  He  informed  me  that  the 
sciatic  nerve  was  the  round  ligament ;  that  the  doctors  were  in  a 
manner  unaccountable  to  him,  unable  to  discover  a  dislocation,  when 
he  could  see  it  in  a  moment.  His  whole  language  was  that  of  an 
illiterate  man.  On  the  other  hand  there  was  much  to  inspire  confi- 
dence. In  the  first  place  he  was  plain  and  serious,  just  such  a  man, 
they  say,  as  General  Harrison,  whom  you  tried  to  make  President  of 
the  United  States.  In  the  second  place,  his  grandfather  and  his 
father  had  been  bone-setters  before  him  ;  he  himself  has  done  nothing 
else  for  more  more  than  forty  years.  If  there  is  anything  in  a  here- 
ditary gift,  or  if  practice  makes  perfect,  he  surely  might  challenge 
confidence  in  his  own  calling.  In  the  third  place,  admitting  one-half 
of  his  vaunted  cures  to  be  imaginary,  there  remains  a  multitude  of 
cases  which  cannot  be  questioned.  I  know  of  several  on  the  best 

human  testimony.     Young is  one ;  Mr. of  Rahway,  is 

another,  who  had  been  for  years  under  Stevens  &  Mott,  and  could 
hardly  walk  on  crutches,  who  was  dancing  in  a  ball-room  within  a 
month  after  Sweet  took  hold  of  him.  He  is  sent  for  all  over  the 
United  States.  He  went  not  long  ago  to  Kentucky,  to  see  a  Mr. 
,  who  had  not  walked  in  ten  years,  In  a  week  he  was  walk- 
ing about,  and  in  three  weeks  he  was  riding  on  horse-back,  and 
carrying  on  like  a  young  man.  For  this  cure  he  received  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  is  to  receive  a  like  sum  if  the  cure  proves  perma- 
nent. This  last  story  is  his  own.  He  certainly  has  a  wonderful 
memory,  for  he  went  into  details,  the  most  minute,  about  cases  which 
I  had  heard  of  from  other  sources.  Well,  do  you  blame  me  now  ? 
Only  the  other  day  he  cured  (he  says)  at  Mount  Holly  a  young  man 
whom  Randolph  had  kept  twenty-three  months  in  a  splint.  He  was 
walking  about  the  streets  when  he  (Sweet)  left  him.  This  is  one  of 
the  cases  my  clerical  friend  referred  to. 

When  he  examined  my  limb,  he  pronounced  immediately  that  the 

hip  was  out  of  joint  and  the  knee  also ! !     This  was  really  too  much. 

However  he  convinced  me  that  my  diseased  limb  is  nearly  an  inch 

longer  than  the  other.     At  least  I  did  my  best  to  make  the  measure- 

16 


242  CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  BROTHER.        [1838. 

ment  accurate.  He  was  not  unduly  urgent  for  me  to  submit  to  his 
operation.  He  said  it  would  not  last  more  than  ten  minutes,  nor 
give  more  pain  than  drawing  a  tooth  ;  that  it  would  require  very  little 
force,  nor  more  than  half  his  strength ;  that  I  could  immediately 
walk  about  the  house  without  crutches,  and  in  a  week  or  two  walk  as 
well  as  ever  ;  that  he  never  persisted  in  an  operation  when  a  patient 
complained  or  fainted !  but  used  all  possible  gentleness. 

Even  Sarah  began  now  to  give  way,  and  urged  that  I  should  let 
him  begin,  and  make  him  stop  when  the  pain  became  severe.  But  I 
refused,  and  manfully  held  fast  to  my  integrity.  So  after  he  had  sat 
here  four  hours  and  a  half,  I  paid  him  $5  for  the  expense  of  coming 
at  the  request  of  my  friend,  and  dismissed  him,  saying,  that  as  soon 
as  I  was  convinced  that  my  hip  was  out  of  joint  I  would  send  for  him. 
Now  if  you  do  not  glorify  me  at  a  great  rate  for  this,  I  will  send  for 
him  right  off.  For  I  am  by  no  means  sure  that  I  have  not  acted  like 
a  big  fool.  He  may  be  entirely  mistaken  in  his  absurd  talk  about 
dislocations,  and  yet,  like  those  famous  shampooers  of  the  East, 
have  a  knack  of  cracking  a  man's  spine,  neck  and  limbs,  greatly  to 
his  edification.  I  maintain  I  have  performed  a  great  action.  Whether 
a  wise  or  foolish  one  you  must  judge. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 

PROF.  HODGE  TO   HIS  BROTHER. 

January  i6th,  1838. 

I  feel  unsettled  and  dissatisfied  about  myself,  and  you  must  not  be 
surprised  if  (should  we  all  live  till  spring)  I  should  enter  on  some 
desperate  enterprise.  I  have  of  late  suffered  more  pain  than  usual, 
particularly  at  night.  What  gradual  change  there  is  in  my  limb 
is  for  the  worse,  I  am  sure,  though  I  cannot  trace  its  progress.  I  am 
also  impressed  with  the  belief  that  this  limb  is  longer  than  the  other. 
I  have  repeatedly  had  it  measured  since  I  first  mentioned  the-  fact, 
and  always  with  the  same  result.  The  idea  that  is  now  haunting  me 
is  the  possibility  of  getting  to  some  hot  mineral  baths.  I  should 
greatly  prefer  those  in  Virginia,  could  I  get  to  them.  But  how  to 
travel  so  far  is  the  question,  and  the  accommodations  for  bathing,  I 
am  told,  are  very  poor.  I  have  thought  that  by  getting  a  dearborn 
wagon  on  easy  springs,  and  large  enough  to  hold  my  mattress,  I  might 
lie  down  and  ride  even  over  the  rough  roads,  for  the  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  from  Richmond.  Were  I  rich  I  would  venture  on  going 
to  Baden,  though  I  have  no  desire  to  cross  the  ocean  again.  By 
going  first  to  London,  then  to  Rotterdam,  and  then  up  the  Rhine,  I 
could  reach  those  springs  with  little  or  no  land  carriage. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 


^T.  40.]     CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  BROTHER.          243 

His  brother,  while  with  characteristic  generosity  offering 
him  pecuniary  assistance  to  execute  his  desire  of  visiting 
the  hot  springs  of  Baden,  expressed  his  want  of  confidence 
in  the  proposed  remedy,  and  in  the  virtue  of  natural  mineral 
waters  in  general.  Hence  the  following  philippic  against 
doctors  in  reply. 

PROFESSOR    HODGE   TO    HIS   BROTHER. 

January  29,  1838. 

My  Dear  Brother: — I  am  going  to  write  a  philippic  against  doctors, 
founded  on  your  last  letter.  If  the  public  have  no  confidence  in  the 
profession  you  have  to  thank  yourselves  for  it.  You  not  only  call 
yourselves  pretenders,  vain  boasters,  etc.,  etc.,  but  make  assertions 
which  shock  the  common  sense  of  mankind.  For  example,  you  say 
that  hot  water  is  hot  water  whether  it  be  in  Germany,  Virginia  or 
Princeton.  This  of  course  means  that  the  hot  natural  mineral  baths 
have  no  greater  remedial  powers  than  artificial  hot  baths.  Now  this,  I 
maintain,  is  contrary  to  reason,  to  testimony  and  to  experience,  /.  e. 
it  is  opposed  to  all  the  kinds  and  degrees  of  evidence  that  can  by 
possibility  apply  to  the  case.  It  is  contrary  to  reason  that  different 
things  should  have  precisely  the  same  effects,  and  hot  water  is  a 
different  thing  from  hot  sulphureous  water  impregnated  with  iron, 
magnesia,  and  other  matters.  Secondly,  a  hot  bath  is  a  very  different 
thing  from  those  natural  bathing  places  where  the  patient  imbibes, 
exhales,  inhales,  absorbs  and  drinks  down,  for  what  I  know,  the 
fumes  of  these  medicated  waters  hour  after  hour.  Your  assertion  is 
contrary  to  the  testimony  of  all  classes  of  men.  Dr.  Johnson  says, 
that  though  he  cannot  explain  it,  it  is  still  the  fact  that  one  grain  of 
iron  in  the  natural  mineral  waters  produces  a  greater  tonic  effect 
than  one  hundred  grains  administered  as  an  artificial  preparation. 
Besides  this  kind  of  testimony  there  is  that  of  those  who,  having 
tried  the  artificial  baths  to  no  effect,  have  been  essentially  benefited 
by  the  use  of  the  natural  ones.  And  finally  as  to  experience,  those 
baths  have  been  frequented,  in  some  cases  for  six  hundred  years, 
by  hundreds  and  thousands  of  people.  Are  all  mankind  crazy  ? 
Might  all  these  people  as  well  have  stayed  at  home,  and  sat  down  in  a 
tub  of  hot  water  ?  Is  a  medical  fact  (the  most  slippery  thing  in 
nature,  I  admit)  utterly  incapable  of  being  established  even  by  the 
experience  of  thousands  of  years  and  of  thousands  of  individuals  ? 

I  know  your  answer  to  all  this — "  Charles  wants  to  go,  and  he  will 
prove  it  reasonable."  But  I  have  no  fancy  for  the  journey  nor  for 


244          CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  BROTHER.        [1838. 

the  isolation  from  friends  and  home  comforts.  I  should  rejoice  to 
be  able  to  believe  that  all  the  advantages  of  these  springs  could  be 
obtained  at  home.  As  to  the  French  douches,  you  forget  I  tried 
them  all  one  summer  to  no  purpose.  The  idea  of  comparing  such 
matters  with  one  of  nature's  steaming  caldrons,  in  which  the  patient 
lies  for  hours  at  a  time  beneath  a  vaulted  roof,  inhaling  sulphureous 
fumes,  while  his  body  soaks  in  hot  medicated  waters,  is  like  compar- 
ing a  trickle  of  tepid  water  to  a  thundering  cataract.  So  much  for 
the  philippic,  in  which  there  is  so  much  good  nature,  I  fear  it  will  be 
but  a  brutum  fulmen.  You  must  consider  it  as  written  in  great  wrath. 
Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

He,  however,  submitted  to  try  first  the  hot  and  then  the 
cold  douche  at  home,  and  afterwards  rapidly  and  perma- 
nently improved. 

PROFESSOR  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

June  5th,  1838. 

My  Dear  Brother :— We  have  had  a  visit  of  two  or  three  days 
from  the  Rev.  Samuel  Hodge,  of  Tennessee,  an  humble,  pious  and 
sensible  old  gentleman.  His  grandfather  came  from  the  North  of 
Ireland,  and  settled  in  North  Carolina.  He  says  the  name  is  quite 
common  in  Carolina  and  Georgia,  and  he  is  inclined  to  think  from 
the  similar  physique,  that  all  who  bear  it  are  of  one  origin.  "  They 
are  characteristically  large  men,  with  light  complexions,  friendly, 
yet  ready  to  fight" 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

\_When  writing  his  "  Constitutional  History  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  United  States,"  he  consulted  his  bro- 
ther as  to  the  best  sources  of  information  upon  the  subject 
of  nervous  epidemics,  &c.  This  he  sought  by  way  of 
preparation  for  discussing  the  history  of  the  physical  phe- 
nomena accompanying  the  revival  of  religion  in  Kentucky 

in  the  early  years  of  this  century^ 

-j 

PROF.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

August  15,  1839. 

My  Dear  Brother  /—You  seem  to  think  I  meant  to  penetrate  very 
far  into  the  labyrinth  of  medico-metaphysical  speculations  about 


ALT.  41.]     CORRESPONDENCE   WITH  HIS  BROTHER.          245 

nervous  diseases.  You  need  not  be  apprehensive  on  that  score.  A 
single  page  will  probably  embrace  all  that  I  have  to  say,  but  to  write 
that  page,  I  should  like  to  read  a  volume  or  two.  A  page  will  con- 
tain a  good  many  assertions,  and  I  should  like  very  much  to  be  able 
to  make  them  on  good  authority.  The  phenomena  of  fainting,  con- 
vulsions, jerking,  etc.,  which  have  in  all  ages  attended  strong  and 
general  religious  excitements,  I  am  persuaded  are  nothing  but  one 
form  of  an  infectious  nervous  disease,  generated  by  strong  impres- 
sions on  the  imagination  and  lively  emotions,  tjf  so  they  have  noth- 
ing to  do,  properly  speaking,  with  religion,  and  instead  of  being 
encouraged  or  tolerated,  as  they  almost  always  have  been  by  good 
men  to  the  great  injury  of  religion,  they  ought  by  all  means  to  be 
guarded  against  and  suppressed  as  much  as  epilepsy  or  hysterics./ 
Your  brother,  C.  H. 

PROF.   HODGE   TO    THE    SAME. 

October  10,  1839. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  was  greatly  concerned  to  hear  of  the  suspen- 
sion of  your  banks.  It  must  be  a  death-blow  to  the  Whig  party,  as  it 
will  turn  popular  clamor  against  all  banks  and  their  advocates.  There 
was  great  joy  in  Washington  when  the  news  reached  there,  beyond 
all  doubt.  The  sub-treasury  is  now  inevitable,  and  we  shall  have 
all  the  loco-focos  dipping  their  straws  into  the  molasses  hogsheads 
of  the  people's  money,  and  smacking  their  lips  at  a  great  rate.  This 
is  not  the  worst  of  it.  I  cannot  see  how  the  banks  can  retain  their 
charters.  If  these  are  withdrawn,  what  a  revolution  of  property  must 
take  place.  How  many  hundreds,  who  depend  on  bank  dividends, 
will  have  no  income,  until  they  can  get  their  money  back  and  re- 
invested, should  the  banks  prove  ultimately  able  to  pay  their  stock- 
holders. However,  the  Lord  reigns. 

With  regard  to  your  physico-theological  investigation,  I  fear  I  can 
give  you  little  assistance.  You  are  beyond  my  depth.  I  do  not 
know  of  any  speculation  on  the  subject,  and  I  suspect  we  all  know 
just  nothing.  We  can  only  reason  from  analogy.  A  plant  is  a  plant 
the  moment  the  seed  begins  to  sprout.  It  has  all  that  is  essential  to 
its  nature,  not  only  as  a  plant,  but  as  a  plant  of  a  certain  genus  or 
species.  It  has  its  own  specific  vis  formativa,  if  that  is  anything 
more  than  an  infidel  expression  for  the  divine  energy.  Still  it  has  its 
own  character  from  the  beginning.  So  with  regard  to  every  animal. 
I  should  suppose  it  must  be  granted  that  it  has  ite  specific  character 
from  the  commencement  of  its  organization.  If  this  is  so,  why  must 
it  not  be  allowed  that  the  human  being  is  a  human  being  from  the 


\ 


246  CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  BROTHER.        [1839. 

beginning?  There  is  no  greater  difference  between  the  new  born 
infant  and  the  embryo,  than  between  the  infant  and  a  full-grown  man. 
I  should  say,  therefore,  that  the  moment  life  begins,  it  is  the  life  of  a 
human  creature,  having  all  the  essential  attributes  of  such  a  being. 
And  life  begins  when  development  or  growth  begins.  The  human 
soul,  as  I  understand  the  matter,  has  no  separate  existence  (in  this 
world)  from  the  body,  nor  the  body  from  the  soul. 

If  I  can  hear  of  anything  on  this  subject,  I  will  let  you  know.  Do 
write  to  me  and  let  me  hear  how  the  world  wags. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

PROF.    HODGE   TO    THE    SAME. 

October  15,  1839. 

My  Dear  Brother  : — I  am  happy  to  hear  of  your  professional  suc- 
cess, and  hope  you  may  meet  with  many  such  instances  to  make  up 
for  your  sleepless  nights  and  laborious  days. 

[l  feel  very  much  concerned  about  the  poor  Bank  of  the  United 
States,  not  only,  and,  as  I  fear,  not  chiefly  because  of  the  distress 
which  her  misfortune  must  occasion,  but  I  am  mortified  as  a  Whig,  as 
a  Philadelphian,  as  an  American^  It  is  a  shame,  no  doubt,  to  blame 
Mr.  Biddle  and  the  Bank  for  measures,  which,  before  the  issue  was 
known,  were  almost  universally  regarded  as  wise  and  salutary.  Still 
his  reputation  must  suffer,  as  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  present 
result  has  proceeded  mainly  from  his  measures.  The  general  causes,  of 
which  you  Philadelphians  speak,  will  account  for  the  general  pres- 
sure on  the  money  market,  but  not  for  the  peculiar  pressure  upon 
the  United  States  Bank.  You  may  remember  that  Mr.  Biddle,  in  his 
last  letter  to  Mr.  Adams,  said,  that  instead  of  restricting  its  operations 
during  the  suspension  of  '37,  the  Bank  greatly  enlarged  them ;  that 
it  advanced  freely  to  planters  and  banks  on  the  pledge  of  cotton, 
and  he  boasted,  and  with  great  reason,  that  he  had  thus  saved  the 
country  millions,  and  had  enabled  it  to  pay  honorably  its  debt  to 
England ;  and  now,  he  added,  the  bank  should  resume  its  appropri- 
ate sphere  as  a  Bank.  Unfortunately,  however,  the  Bank  was  not 
able  to  get  out  of  its  mercantile  business.  It  was  still  obliged  to  deal 
largely  in  cotton.  Whether  this  arose  from  the  premature  resump- 
tion of  specie  payments,  or  from  hope  of  gain,  it  is  acknowledged 
that  the  Bank  did  deal  immensely  in  cotton.  It  subjected  itself, 
therefore,  not  only  to  banking,  but  also  to  mercantile  risks,  and  now 
that  cotton  has  come  down,  the  Bank  suffers.  I  have  seen  these 
things  said  over  and  over,  and  long  ago  in  the  English  papers,  and 
Mr.  Biddle  censured  for  making  the  Bank  a  great  trading  concern. 


MT.  27.]  THE  "PRINCE TON  RE  FIE  Wr  247 

Add  to  all  this,  the  large  investments  which  the  Bank  has  made  in 
other  banks,  in  railroads,  &c.,  &c.,  thus  locking  up  its  capital,  and  I 
think  there  is  no  great  mystery  in  the  result.  I  sincerely  hope  she 
may  weather  the  storm,  though  it  be  at  a  great  loss. 

Some  of  the  newspapers  are  perfectly  atrocious  in  their  abuse.  The 
Journal  of  Commerce  calls  it  a  broken  concern  mercantilely  and 
morally,  exhorts  all  the  Philadelphia  banks  to  throw  out  its  paper  as 
bankrupt  rubbish,  or  they  will  all  sink  with  it,  &c.,  &c.,  and  points 
with  exultation  to  its  stock  at  70. 

This  is  rather  a  strange  letter  for  me  to  write.  It  is  written  before 
breakfast,  while  waiting  for  the  lazy  part  of  the  family,  and  therefore 
may  be  a  little  crusty. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 


THE  "  BIBLICAL  REPERTORY  AND  PRINCETON  REVIEW,"  ITS  HISTORY  AND 
ESTIMATE  OF  ITS  CHARACTER  AND  INFLUENCE.  DR.  HODGE'S  QUALIFI- 
CATIONS AND  SUCCESS  AS  AN  EDITOR  AND  REVIEWER,  HIS  ASSOCIATE 
EDITORS,  AND  PRINCIPAL  CONTRIBUTORS. 

As  has  been  above  noticed,  Mr.  Hodge  began  in  Janu- 
ary, 1825,  the  publication  of  a  quarterly  journal,  under  the 
title  of  the  "  Biblical  Repertory.  A  Collection  of  Tracts  in 
Biblical  Literature."  The  design  of  this  publication  was 
"to  assist  ministers  and  laymen  in  the  criticism  and  in- 
terpretation of  the  Bible."  It  had  been  occupied  for  the 
first  four  years  almost  exclusively  with  reprints  and  transla- 
tions of  the  essays  of  European  scholars.  Prof.  Robert  B. 
Patton  had  acted  as  editor  during  Mr.  Hodge's  absence  in 
Europe.  The  translations  had  been  prepared  for  the  most 
part  by  President  James  Marsh,  then  of  Hampden  Sidney, 
Virginia,  Drs.  James  W.  and  Joseph  Addison  Alexander, 
and  by  Professor  Patton  and  Mr.  Hodge.  In  January,  1829, 
the  entire  plan  and  management  of  the  journal  was  changed, 
and  the  "  New  Series  "  of  Volumes  date  from  that  year.  It 
was  thenceforward  entitled  "The  Biblical  Repertory  and 
Theological  Review."  Its  object  is  declared  in  a  long  Ad- 
vertisement to  be  1st,  to  furnish  Christian  readers  with  "fa- 
cilities for  a  right  understanding  of  the  divine  oracles;"  2d, 


248  THE  " PRINCETON  REVIEW."  [1825. 

"  to  bring  under  strict,  impartial  review  the  philosophy  and 
literature  of  the  time,  and  show  their  influence,  whether  for 
good  or  evil,  on  biblical  interpretation,  systematic  theology, 
and  practical  religion,  in  doing  which  it  will  be  necessary  to 
correct  and  expose  the  error  of  founding  religious  doctrines 
on  isolated  passages,  and  partial  views  of  Bible  truth,  or 
forcing  the  Scriptures  to  a  meaning  which  shall  accord  with 
philosophical  theories;"  3d,  "To  notice  and  exhibit  the 
dangers  of  the  particular  form  of  error  prevailing  in  the 
period;"  4th,  "  To  present  the  history  of  religious  doctrine 
and  opinion,  to  notice  the  revival  of  old  and  exploded  doc- 
trines, and  their  effects  on  vital  religion ;"  5th,  "  To  con- 
sider the  influence  of  different  principles  of  ecclesiastical 
polity  on  piety,  morals,  literature  and  civil  institutions;" 
6th,  "To  observe  and  sustain  the  various  enterprises  of 
Christian  benevolence,  especially  the  vast  and  growing  in- 
terest of  Sabbath-schools ;"  7th,  "  Such  attention  as  the 
limits  of  the  work  will  admit,  will  be  bestowed  on  the  im- 
portant interests  of  general  knowledge,  and  select  literary 
information  will  be  given  in  every  number;"  8th,  "The 
work  is  not  designed  to  be  controversial  in  its  character, 
but  to  state  temperately  and  mildly,  yet  firmly  and  fear- 
lessly, Bible  truth  in  its  whole  extent."  This  commenda- 
tory advertisement  is  signed  by  the  following  leading 
ministers  of  the  day:  Ashbel  Green,  Samuel  Miller, 
Archibald  Alexander,  John  H.  Rice,  Ezra  Fisk,  Ezra  Styles 
Ely,  Francis  Herron,  Thomas  Cleland,  Samuel  H.  Cox, 
Thomas  H.  Skinner,  James  Hoge,  Henry  B.  Weed,  Wil- 
liam Nevins,  Joseph  Sanford,  Thomas  J.  Biggs,  Samuel  L. 
Graham,  Luther  Halsey.  Thus  some  of  the  strongest  and 
most  prominent  partizans  of  each  of  the  two  Schools,  into 
which  the  Presbyterian  Church  divided  in  1831,  were  in 
1829  united  in  laying  the  foundations  of  the  Biblical  Reper- 
tory, destined  to  take  so  decided  a  part  in  the  coming  con- 
flict. 

The  new  Review  henceforth  instead  of  bearing  the  name 


JET.  27-74.]  THE  "  PRINCE  TON  RE  VIE  W."  2  49 

of  a  single  man,[was  edited  by  an  "  Association  of  Gentle- 
men in  Princeton.^"  These  were  Rev.  Drs.  Archibald  Alex- 
ander and  Samuel  Miller,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hodge  of  the 
Seminary,  and  President  Carnahan,  and  Professors  Maclean 
and  Dod,  of  the  College.  The  Rev.  James  W.  Alexander, 
then  of  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  and  Mr.  Joseph  Addison  Alex- 
ander, then  of  the  College,  and  afterwards  of  the  Seminary, 
were  from  the  beginning  copious  and  most  important  con- 
tributors to  the  Review,  and  they  soon  began  to  take  a 
leading  position  in  its  editorial  management.  In  1837  the  title 
was  changed  to  "  Biblical  Repertory  and  Princeton  Review." 
In  January,  1840,  the  "  Literary  and  Theological  Review"  of 
New  York,  hitherto  edited  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pigeon,  in  the 
interests  of  the  old  orthodoxy,  was  merged  into  the  "  Bibli- 
cal Repertory  and  Princeton  Review."  \Although  conducted 
by  an  association  of  gentlemen  from  ^1829  to  1855,  Mr. 
Hodge  was  the  actual  working  editor  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  time,  to  whom  fell  the  correspondence,  the  procuring 
of  contributions,  and  in  the  first  instance,  their  examination. 
In  1856  he  again  put  his  name  on  the  title  page  as  sole 
editor,  which  position  of  unrelieved  labor  and  unshared 
responsibility  he  maintained  until  the  end  of  the  year  1868- 
Then  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  secure  the  consent  of 
Rev.  Lyman  H.  Atwater,  D.D.,  of  Princeton  College,  to  act 
as  his  colleague  in  the  Editorship.'  Dr.  Atwater  had  abun- 
dantly proved  his  pre-eminent  fitness  for  this  great  office,  by 
the  ability  and  steadfast  orthodoxy  of  his  contributions  to 
the  Review  for  many  past  years.  And  henceforth,  although 
Dr.  Hodge's  name  continued  to  appear  on  the  title  page  as 
senior  Editor,  and  he  continued  to  share  in  its  direction  and 
to  contribute  to  its  pages,  Dr.  Atwater  discharged  the  major 
part  of  the  work.  After  the  reunion  of  the  two  branches  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  the  "Biblical  Repertory  and 
Princeton  Review"  was  in  1872  combined  with  the  "Ameri- 
can Presbyterian  Review  "  of  New  York,  with  the  title  of 
" Presbyterian  Quarterly  and  Princeton  Review"  under  the 


250  " PRINCETON  REVIEW."  [1829-56. 

editorial  management  of  Rev.  Dr.  L.  H.  Atwater,  and  Rev. 
Dr.  H.  B.  Smith.  And  in  the  latter  end  of  1877  it  was  sold 
to  the  present  editor  of  the  new  "Princeton  Review"  a 
transfer  for  which  Dr.  Hodge  was  in  no  degree  responsible. 
He  was  the  founder  of  the  Review,  and  he  continued  in 
connection  with  it  as  sole  or  joint  editor,  from  January, 
1825,  to  December,  1871,  a  period  of  forty-six  years. 

Of  the  management  of  the  Review  by  an  "Association 
of  Gentlemen,"  which  continued  from  1829  to  1856,  Dr. 
Hodge  writes  in  his  "  Retrospect  of  the  History  of  the 
Princeton  Review"  published  in  the  Index  Volume  in  1868: 
"  The  Association  above-mentioned  was  not  defined  within 
very  strict  limits,  nor  was  it  controlled  by  any  special  terms 
of  agreement.  It  consisted  of  the  more  frequent  contribu- 
tors to  the  pages  of  the  journal,  who  were  willing  to  assume 
the  responsibility  before  the  public  of  its  character  and  con- 
tents. It  included  the  Professors  of  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary, and  some  of  the  officers  of  the  College.  Although 
the  laboring  oar  was  still  in  one  pair  of  hands,  it  was  of 
importance  that  the  work  had  the  sanction  of  a  number  of 
gentlemen  who  had  the  confidence  of  the  public;  and  it 
was  a  real  advantage  that  all  contributions  touching  delicate 
or  difficult  questions  were  read  and  canvassed  by  the  Asso- 
ciation before  being  committed  to  the  press." 

The  most  eminent  and  frequent  contributors  were  Dr. 
Samuel  Miller,  Drs.  Archibald,  James  W.  and  Joseph  Addi- 
son  Alexander,  Profs.  Dod,  Maclean,  Stephen  Alexander, 
J.  H.  Mcllvaine,  Wm.  H.  Green,  James  Moffatt,  Lyman  H. 
Atwater  and  John  Forsyth ;  the  Hon.  Chief  Justice  Lowrie, 
the  Hon.  Stephen  Col  well,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Samuel 
Tyler,  of  Washington.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller  contributed  be- 
tween 1830  and  1842  twenty-five  articles;  Dr.  Archibald 
Alexander  in  all  seventy-seven  articles ;  Dr.  Joseph  Addi- 
son  Alexander,  ninety-three ;  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander, 
one  hundred;  Dr.  Lyman  H.  Atwater  contributed  from 
1840  to  1868  sixty-six  articles ;  [and  Dr.  Hodge  in  all  con- 


^T.  27-74.]  DR.  HODGE  AS  A  REVIEWER.  25! 

tributed  one  hundred  and  forty-two  articlesj averaging  with 
his  proportion  of  the  literary  notices,  at  least  five  thousand 
octavo  pages,  or  ten  ordinary  octavo  volumes.  (These  arti- 
cles of  Dr.  Hodge  were  in  the  form  both  of  essays  and  of 
reviews,  didactic  and  controversial,  and  they  ranged  over  a 
wide  circle  of  subjects,  including  besides  theology  and  bib- 
lical criticism,  discussions  in  metaphysics  and  psychology, 
in  personal,  ecclesiastical  and  political  ethics,  and  in  all  the 
range  of  ecclesiastical  polity,  constitutional  and  administra- 
tive, theoretical  and  practical,  springing  from  the  passing 
events  of  the  time?; 

The  grand  characteristics  of  these  reviews  are  knowledge, 
clearness  and  faith.  These,  in  the  degree  and  combination 
in  which  they  existed  in  Doctor  Hodge,  gave  them  the 
qualities  of  breadth,  independence,  moderation,  conserva- 
tism, clearness  of  thought  and  style  and  eminent  conviction. 
\His  religion  was  a  personal  experience.  The  most  close 
and  critical  observer  never  in  any  moment  of  his  living  or 
dying  hours  saw  in  him  the  least  symptom  of  doubt)  That 
Christ  is  what  he  is  set  forth  in  the  Scriptures  to  be,  and 
that  the  Bible  is  the  infallible  word  of  God,  were  facts  insep- 
arable from  his  personal  consciousness.  The  logical  force 
and  habit  of  his  mind  made  him  see  and  grasp  all  things  in 
their  relations.  All  that  he  saw  to  be  logically  involved  in 
a  vital  truth  by  which  he  lived,  was  to  him  part  of  that 
truth.  [Thus  he  experienced  the  whole  Calvinistic  system, 
and  would  defend  it  at  all  cost  as  the  truth  of  God,  from 
loyalty  to  Christ,  and  love  for  human  souls.  The  whole 
was  a  matter  of  conscience  and  of  life  and  death.  Hence, 
also,  he  was  apt  sometimes,  as  his  critics  have  successfully 
pointed  out,  to  go  beyond  the  warrant  of  historical  fact,  in 
asserting  that  the  Church  had  everywhere  and  always  held 
as  he  held  as  to  secondary  matters^  Hence,  also,  he  saw 
all  truths  in  their  relations.  Defect  at  the  circumference 
threatened  heresy  at  the  centre,  and  defective  theistic  con- 
ceptions of  men  of  science  in  the  various  spheres  of  nature 


252  DR.  HODGE  AS  A  REVIEWER.  [1829-68. 

threatened  atheism,  and  were  to  be  met  and  vanquished  at 
the  time  and  place  of  their  birth,  before  they  had  gathered 
strength,  or  extended  their  pernicious  influence.  Hence, 
also,  from  his  logic,  came  the  symmetrical  form  into  which 
his  essays  were  arranged,  like  an  army  skillfully  set  for 
battle ;  and  from  his  faith  came  that  momentum  and  pene- 
trating force  of  absolute  conviction  which  rendered  the 
serried  ranks  of  the  attacking  army  irresistible.  Hence  he 
was  transparently  disinterested  and  essentially  impersonal. 
He  fought  only  in  obedience  to  the  Master,  for  the  honor 
of  Christ  and  the  salvation  of  souls.  It  was  God's  cause, 
and  all  personal  share  in  it  was  swallowed  up  in  that  awful 
fact,  always  and  perfectly  realized.  \He  cherished  inimical 
feelings  to  no  man,  or  class  of  men,  except  in  as  far  as  he 
thought  he  saw  they  were  opposing  God's  truth,  and  were 
thus  knowingly  or  ignorantly  dishonoring  Christ  and  im- 
periling soulsT)  Only  once  in  all  his  life  did  he  strike  out 
with  an  angry,  personal  intent,  and  that  was  in  the  article 
entitled  "  The  Princeton  Review  and  Cousin's  Philosophy," 
April,  1856.  The  occasion  was  that  Caleb  S.  Henry,  D.D., 
after  waiting  seventeen  years,  had  attacked  Dr.  Hodge's 
friend,  Albert  B.  Dod,  eleven  years  in  his  grave,  for  an  arti- 
cle on  Transcendentalism  published  in  1839.  He  did  strike 
in  wrath  the  man  who  tore  open  the  grave  of  his  friend. 
But  with  regard  to  all  other  opponents,  he  had  no  other 
thought  or  feeling  than  that  involved  in  the  reverent  defence 
of  the  ark  of  God.  If  others  praised  him,  he  rejoiced  in 
their  love,  and  thanked  God,  to  whom  only  praise  belongs, 
and  from  whom  alone  all  graces  come.  If  others  angrily 
scourged  him  in  their  attacks  or  replies,  then,  after  the  first 
sentence  in  which  he  detected  the  flavor  of  the  hostile  ani- 
mus, he  closed  the  page,  and  refusing  even  to  hear  what 
had  been  said,  he  banished  the  whole  thing  from  his  mind. 
He  certainly  missed  much  improving  discipline,  which  his 
antagonists  have  laboriously  prepared  for  his  good,j  There 
probably  was  never  another  warrior  of  equal  extent  of  ex- 


JET.  27-74.]  HIS  QUALIFICATIONS  AS  A  REVIEWER.  253 

perience  who  sat  so  habitually  in  placid  unconsciousness  of 
the  missiles  of  the  enemy,  whether  from  the  ambush  or  the 
open  battle,  whether  the  pistol  or  rifle  of  the  newspaper,  or 
the  siege-guns  of  the  great  reviews. 

(jThe  same  qualities  caused  him  to  be  both  conservative 
and  moderate]  [He  was  conservative  because  the  truth  he 
held  was  not  the  discovery  of  the  progressive  reason  of 
man,  but  the  very  word  of  God  once  delivered  to  the  saints, 
and  therefore  authoritative  and  irreformable^  and  because 
reverence  for  that  word  repressed  in  him  all  ambition  for 
distinction  as  the  discoverer  of  new  opinions,  or  as  the 
improver  of  the  faith  of  the  Church.  [The  consistency  with 
which,  under  all  changes  of  times  and  party-combinations, 
he  for  fifty  years  maintained  without  shadow  of  change 
absolutely  the  same  principles  was  very  remarkable,  and 
without  any  parallel  in  this  age.  He  held  precisely  the  same 
doctrines  in  his  age  as  in  the  early  controversies  of  his 
youth,  and  the  same  principles  as  to  the  relation  of  govern- 
ment to  moral  and  religious  questions,  and  as  to  temperance 
and  slavery  after  the  war  as  he  did  years  before.  He  was 
always  moderate  also,  because  his  loyalty  to  the  Master 
made  party  spirit  impossible,  and  because  the  amount  of  his 
knowledge  and  force  of  his  logic  caused  him  to  see  things 
in  all  their  relations  in  all  directions,)  by  the  aid  of  the  side- 
lights as  well  as  by  the  aid  of  those  shining  in  the  line  of 
his  direct  vision.  Of  the  fact  of  his  moderation,  his  whole 
controversial  history  is  an  illustration.  Dr.  Ward,  the 
editor  of  the  Independent,  notices  this  trait  in  an  editorial 
on  occasion  of  Dr.  Hodge's  semi-centennial  celebration, 
April,  1872.  The  form  and  spirit  of  his  "Systematic 
Theology"  abundantly  and  conspicuously  show  it  when 
compared  with  the  representatives  of  the  extreme  par- 
ties of  the  Reformed  Churches,  as  Beza  and  Gomarus,  on 
the  one  hand,  and  Amaraldus  and  Placaeus,  on  the  other. 
The  same  is  shown  by  his  position  as  to  the  questions 
of  slavery,  temperance  and  Romish  baptism.  At  first 


254  HIS  QUALIFICATIONS  AS  A  REVIEWER.    [1829-68. 

he  opposed  the  ultra  Old  School  men  in  1836  who 
were  bent  on  the  division  of  the  Church,  because  the  New 
School  brethren  were  too  bad  to  live  with.  Again,  he  op- 
posed the  same  men  and  their  successors  in  1866  and  '8, 
who  would  precipitate  the  re-union  of  the  two  branches, 
because  the  same  New  School  brethren  were  too  good  to 
live  without!  "As  early  as  1855,  some  of  our  southern 
friends  who  had  taken  extreme  ground  as  to  the  policy  of 
boards,  raised  a  further  question  as  to  the  prerogatives  of 
the  Church  respecting  matters  that  had  secular  relations 
and  bearing.  Dr.  Hodge,  in  the  Review,  earnestly  opposed 
the  extreme  action  carried  by  a  small  majority  at  Indiana- 
polis. A  harmonious  understanding,  however,  seemed  to 
have  been  reached,  after  the  warm,  though  courteous,  de- 
bate at  Rochester  in  1860.  But  when  the  Church  in  1861 
(the  Spring  Resolution)  apparently  leaned  over  to  the  op- 
posite extreme,  he  still  adhered  to  the  principles  of  the  Ro- 
chester action.  No  articles  from  his  pen  have  attracted 
more  general  attention  or  called  forth  more  praise  and  cen- 
sure than  those  on  the  state  of  the  country  and  affiliated 
subjects.  During  the  excitement  of  the  times,  the  radical 
friends  of  the  North  and  the  ultra  friends  of  the  South  cri- 
ticised him  with  unmeasured  severity;  but  the  Church  and 
the  country  appears  to  be  gradually  returning  to  his  mode- 
rate position."  Thus  the  rock  in  the  sea  by  maintaining 
through  all  tempests  an  unchanged  position,  at  once  op- 
poses and  measures  the  oscillations  of  the  changing  tides 
and  of  the  restless  waves. 

He  possessed  in  perfection  that  kind  of  bravery  which, 
while  perfectly  consistent  with  humility,  love  of  approba- 
tion, and  love  of  ease,  yet  makes  it  easy  for  a  soldier  to  do 
his  duty  regardless  of  opposing  odds  and  of  consequences. 
It  is  an  historical  fact  that  he  quietly  took  the  personal  re- 
sponsibility of  the  Princeton  side  of  all  the  controversies  for 
the  forty  years  of  the  most  momentous  controversies  ever 
known  to  the  American  Church.  He  just  as  often  stood  up 


MT.  27-74-]  HIS  QUALIFICATIONS  AS  A  REVIEWER.          255 

in  defence  of  his  opinions  in  the  face  of  opposing  majorities 
as  with  their  support.  iHe  alternately  opposed  both  sides, 
and  often  stood  almost  alone,  as  before  the  General  Assem- 
bly in  Philadelphia  in  1861.'  The  press  of  the  city,  the  mob 
in  the  street,  the  majority  in  the  Assembly,  the  constituen- 
cies at  home,  were  all  violently  excited  at  the  futile  opposi- 
tion made  to  their  wishes.  Many  men  were  swept  off  their 
feet  by  excited  feeling,  and  many  more  were  intimidated. 
One  confessed  to  Dr.  Hodge :  "  I  am  opposed  to  these  re- 
solutions, but  if  I  vote  against  them,  I  can  never  go  home." 
But  then,  as  under  all  other  circumstances,  for  fifty  years 
Dr.  Hodge  stood  fast  where  the  Master  put  him.  Not  one 
of  his  debates  or  controversies  was  ever  prompted  by  am- 
bition, or  by  any  inspiration  of  the  mere  gaudia  certaminis, 
but  in  every  instance  he  spoke  by  way  of  obedience  as  the 
servant  and  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ.  "Here  I  stand,  and 
cannot  do  otherwise.  God  be  my  help.  Amen." 

Of  the  general  character  and  conduct  of  the  Review,\JPr. 
Hodge  himself  wrote  in  his  Retrospect  of  the  History  of  the 
Princeton  Review,  in  the  Index  Volume,  1868  :  "The  con- 
ductors of  the  Princeton  Review,  however,  were  Presbyteri- 
ans. They  firmly  believed  that  the  system  of  doctrine  con- 
tained in  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith,  the  system 
of  the  Reformed  Church  and  of  Augustinians  in  all  ages,  is 
the  truth  of  God  revealed  for  His  glory  and  the  salvation  of 
men.  \  They  believed  that  the  upholding  that  system  in  its 
integrity,  bearing  witness  to  it  as  the  truth  of  God,  and  its 
extension  through  the  world,  was  the  great  duty  of  all  those 
who  had  experienced  its  power.  They  believed  also  that 
the  organization  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  its  form  of 
government  and  discipline,  was  more  conformed  than  any 
other  to  the  Scriptural  model,  and  the  best  adapted  for  pre- 
serving the  purity  and  developing  the  life  of  the  Church. 
It  was,  therefore,  the  vindication  of  that  system  of  truth  and 
of  the  principles  of  that  ecclesiastical  polity,  the  conductors 
of  this  Journal,  from  first  to  last;  had  constantly  in  view. 


256  HIS  QUALIFICATIONS  AS  A  REVIEWER.     [1829-68. 

In  this  world  life  is  a  constant  struggle  against  the  causes 
of  death.  Liberty  is  maintained  only  by  unsleeping  vigi- 
lance against  the  aggressions  of  power ;  virtue  is  of  neces- 
sity in  constant  antagonism  to  vice,  and  truth  to  error. 
That  a  Journal  consecrated  to  the  support  of  truth  should 
be  controversial  is  a  matter  of  course;  it  is  a  law  of  its  ex- 
istence, the  condition  of  its  usefulness.  The  Bible  is  the 
most  controversial  of  books.  It  is  a  protest  against  sin  and 
error  from  beginning  to  end.  To  object  to  controversy, 
therefore,  is  to  object  to  what  is  in  this  world  the  necessary 
condition  of  life.  It  is,  consequently,  no  just  ground  of  re- 
proach to  this  Journal  that  it  has  been  engaged  in  contro- 
versy during  the  whole  course  of  its  existence.  If  it  has 
always  contended  for  the  true  and  the  right,  and  done  this 
with  due  humility  and  charity,  it  has  fulfilled  its  destiny. 
That  it  has  often  failed — at  least  in  spirit  and  manner — may, 
and  we  fear  must,  be  conceded.  All  such  failures  are  to 
the  surviving  conductors  matters  of  regret ;  but  they  can 
honestly  say  they  have  ever  labored  to  support  the  truth  of 
God  and  to  promote  the  interests  of  His  kingdom  to  the 
best  of  their  understanding  and  ability."  "  It  is  with  un- 
feigned and  humble  gratitude  to  God  that  the  conductors 
of  the  Biblical  Repertory  and  Princeton  Review  can  look 
over  the  comparatively  long  period  of  its  existence  with  the 
conviction  that  •  from  first  to  last  it  has  been  devoted  to  the 
vindication  of  that  system  of  doctrine  contained  in  our 
standards,  and  which,  as  all  Presbyterians  believe,  is  taught 
in  the  word  of  God.  No  article  opposed  to  that  system  has 
ever  appeared  in  its  pages.  It  has  been  the  honest  endea- 
vor of  the  conductors  to  exhibit  and  defend  the  doctrines  of 
our  standards  under  the  abiding  conviction  that  they  are 
the  doctrines  of  the  word  of  God.  \They  have  advanced  no 
new  theories,  and  have  never  aimed  at  originality.  Whe- 
ther it  be  a  ground  of  reproach  or^of  approbation,  it  is  be- 
lieved to  be  true  that  an  original  idea  in  theology  is  not  to  be 
found  in  the  pages  of  the  Biblical  Repertory  and  Princeton 


^ET.  27-74.]   HIS  QUALIFICATIONS  AS  A  REVIEWER.         257 

Review  from  the  beginning  until  now.  The  phrase  '  Prince- 
ton Theology,'  therefore,  is  without  distinctive  meaning.'^) 
The  following  interesting  testimonies  as  to  the  character 
and  conduct  of  this  Review  is  furnished  by  independent  and 
competent  witnesses.  [The  British  Quarterly  Review,  in  an 
article  on  the  American  Press,  January,  1871,  saysj:  "The 
Princeton  Review  is  the  oldest  Quarterly  in  the  United 
States.  It  was  established  in  1825  by  Charles  Hodge,  the 
well-known  commentator  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  a 
Professor  in  Princeton  Theological  Seminary.  It  is  beyond 
all  question  the  greatest  purely  theological  Review  that  has 
ever  been  published  in  the  English  tongue,  andlhas  waged 
war  in  defence  of  the  Westminster  standards  for  a  period  of 
forty  years,  with  a  polemic  vigor  and  unity  of  design  with- 
out any  parallel  in  the  history  of  religious  journalism.  If 
we  were  called  to  name  any  living  writer  who,  to  Calvin's 
exegetical  tact,  unites  a  large  measure  of  Calvin's  grasp  of 
mind  and  transcendent  clearness  in  the  department  of  sys- 
tematic theology,  we  should  point  to  this  Princeton  Profes- 
sor./ He  possesses,  to  use  the  words  of  an  English  critic, 
the  power  of  seizing  and  retaining  with  a  rare  vigor  and  te- 
nacity the  great  doctrinal  turning-points  in  a  controversy, 
while  he  is  able  to  expose  with  triumphant  dexterity  the 
various  subterfuges  under  which  it  has  been  brought  to 
elude  them.  His  articles  furnish  a  remarkably  full  and  ex- 
act repository  of  historic  and  polemic  theology.  The  great 
characteristic  of  his  mind  is  the  polemic  element;  accord- 
ingly we  find  him  in  collision  with  Moses  Stuart,  of  Ando- 
ver,  in  1833,  and  with  Albert  Barnes  in  1835,  on  the  doc- 
trine of  imputation;  with  Prof.  Park,  in  1851,  on  'The  The- 
ology of  the  Intellect  and  the  Theology  of  the  Feelings ;' 
with  Dr.  Nevin,  of  the  Mercersburg  Review,  in  1848,  on 
the  subject  of  the  '  Mystical  Presence  ;'  with  Prof.  SchafF,  in 
1854,  on  the  doctrine  of  historical  development;  and  with 
Horace  Bushnell  in.  1866  on  vicarious  sacrifice.  In  fact,  a 
•historical  duel  has  been  going  on  between  Andover  and 
17 


258  HIS  QUALIFICATIONS  AS  A  REVIEWER.     [1829-68. 

Princeton  for  over  forty  years,) the  leading  controversialists 
of  Andover  being  Stuart,  Park,  Edward  Beecher,  Baird  and 
Fisher,  and  those  of  Princeton  Hodge,  the  Alexanders  and 
Atwater.  The  articles  in  the  'Princeton  Review'  on  sci- 
ence, philosophy,  literature  and  history  have  generally  dis- 
played large  culture  and  research.  The  review  of  Cousin's 
Philosophy,  in  1839,  bv  Professor  Dod,  was  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  papers  that  appeared  on  the  subject  in 
America,  and  was  afterward  reprinted  separately  on  both 
sides  of  the  Atlantic." 

(jProf.  James  Macgregor,  D.  D.,  of  the  New  College,  Ed- 
inburgh, in  an  article  in  the  "  British  and  Foreign  Evan- 
gelical Review"  for  July,  1874)  on  "Dr.  Charles  Hodge 
and  the  Princeton  School,"  says  :  "  In  thus  speaking  of  Dr. 
Alexander  we  are  not  led  away  from  Dr.  Hodge,  [jfhe 
two  men  are  only  two  parts  of  one  whole.  We  might  set  the 
matter  thus: — Alexander  was  the  Socrates  of  the  Princeton 
School,  and  Hodge  has  proved  to  be  its  Plato  and  Aristotle. 
The  two  between  them  have  been  the  leading  power  in 
eliciting  a  school  of  Christian  thought,  which  more  and  more 
manifestly,  is  destined  to  be  the  dominant  thought  of  Chris- 
tian J\.merica. 

iiThe  Princeton  school  has  been  markedly  Biblical  in  its 
thinking^  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  was  all  his  life-long  an 
enthusiast  in  biblical  studies,  especially  in  relation  to  her- 
meneutics  and  criticism.  His  son,  Joseph  Addison,  author 
of  the  learned  commentaries  on  Isaiah  and  the  Psalms,  who 
was  reckoned  a  prodigy  of  linguistic  erudition,  devoted  his 
whole  life  to  the  study  and  exposition  of  Scripture.  The 
'  Princeton  Review '  was  at  first,  for  some  years  a  '  Biblical 
Repertory'  directly  devoted  to  the  expiscation  of  questions 
regarding  Holy  Writ.  Dr.  Hodge,  the  now  acknowledged 
Coryphoeus  of  the  school,  had  been  twenty  years  Professor 
of  Biblical  Theology  before  he  became  Professor  of  Sys- 
tematic Theology.  The  influence  of  this  biblical  culture 
appears  not  only  in  his  production  of  commentaries  on  the 


JET.  27-74.]  HIS  QUALIFICATIONS  AS  A  REVIEWER.          259 

Romans  and  Corinthians,  but  appears  most  clearly  and 
fully  of  all  in  his  great  work  now  completed  of  Systematic 
Theology. 

"  The  manner  of  the  Princeton  School  has  been  peculiar. 
Controversy  is  perhaps  not  a  good  test  of  Christian  charac- 
ter. The  proverbial  odium  theologicmn  may  be  really  cre- 
ditable to  the  theologians  as  a  class,  because  evincing  the 
glowing  earnestness  of  their  convictions.  Still  we  cannot 
close  our  eyes  to  the  fact  that  controversy  brings  about  sur- 
prising revelations  of  natural  character.  Some  men,  here- 
tofore supposed  to  be  simply  saints,  will  betray  a  frailness  in 
the  fibre  of  their  manhood.  Other  men  will  evince  a  firm  fibre 
of  manhood,  either  by  sweet  and  uncomplaining  acceptance 
of  defeat,  or  by  magnanimous  forbearance  and  kindness  to- 
wards those  over  whom  they  have  got  the  upper  hand.  This 
greatness  of  nature  has  been  exhibited  in  remarkable  mea- 
sure from  first  to  last  by  the  Princeton  school  in  general, 
and  by  Dr.  Hodge  in  particular.  They  have  in  their  con- 
troversies been  earnest,  eloquent,  warm,  even  passionate; 
but  so  far  as  we  know,  they  have  invariably  spoken  as  true 
Christian  gentlemen,  who  in  relation  to  adversaries]  make 
due  allowance  for  the  fact  that — speaking  more  Americano 
— 'there's  a  good  deal  of  human  nature  in  man.'  They 
have  shown  themselves  to  be  manly  men  of  the  heroic  type." 

Dr.  Charles  P.  Krauth,  the  great  theologian  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  testified  at  Dr.  Hodge's  semi-centennial 
celebration  in  1872,  "that  he  (Dr.  Hodge)  had  always 
treated  the  doctrines  of  Churches  and  parties  differing  from 
his  own  with  candor,  love  of  truth,  and  perfect  fairness." 

Dr.  Irenaeus  Prime,  of  the  New  York  Observer,  said  at 
Dr.  Hodge's  semi-centennial,  April,  1872,  "I  think,  and  I 
have  had  connection  with  the  Press  for  thirty  years — I 
think  Dr.  Hodge  the  ablest  reviewer  in  the  world.  Any 
one  who  has  carefully  studied  the  '  Princeton  Review '  for 
the  last  thirty  years  will  bear  witness  when  I  testify  to  the 
trenchant  power  with  which  he  has  defended  the  truth,  and 


260  HIS  QUALIFICATIONS  AS  A  REVIEWER.     [1829-68. 

put  forth  the  peculiar  views  which  have  made  that  Review 
a  power  in  the  Church  and  in  tjie  world." 

And  in  an  editorial  in  the  " N.  Y.  Observer"  the  week 
after  Dr.  Hodge's  death,  June  27th,  1878,  Dr.  Prime  says: 
"  The  '  Princeton  Review '  in  his  hands  was  an  army  with 
banners.  It  did  not  array  itself  on  the  side  of  the  Church, 
or  of  any  party  in  the  Church.  It  was  the  organ  of  his 
opinions.  And  they  were  set  forth  with  no  dogmatic  stub- 
bornness, but  with  such  Christian  meekness  and  deference 
to  the  Divine  word,  that  they  carried  weight  with  them  as 
if  his  was  the  flagship  of  the  fleet,  iron-clad,  that  sailed  in 
with  victory  on  its  prow.  We  recall  a  case  in  which  the 
General  Assembly,  after  one  of  the  ablest  debates  ever  held 
on  its  floor,  came  to  a  decision  on  an  important  ecclesiastical 
question  (Romish  Baptism)  with  almost  entire  unanimity. 
Dr.  Hodge  reviewed  the  decision  in  the  'Princeton  Review' 
with  such  masterly  power,  as  to  set  back  the  opinions  of 
the  Church,  and  hold  it  on  the  other  side  to  this  day.  And 
to  us  this  power  of  his  appears  the  more  wonderful,  as  we 
believed  then,  and  do  now,  that  he  was  wrong,  and  the  As- 
sembly was  right." 

The  editor  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Lytnan  Beecher  says,  with 
reference  to  the  article  of  Rev.  Prof!  Albert  B.  Dod,  July, 
1837,  on  "  Beecher's  Views  in  Theology,"  that  "the  Prince- 
ton  Review  was  the  most  powerful  organ  in  the  land." 
Autobiography,  etc.,  of  Lyman  Beecher  by  his  Son,  Vol. 
II.,  p.  402. 

^Mr.  Hodge,  whom  henceforth  we  will  style  by  his  title 
of  doctor  of  divinity,  which  was  conferred  upon  him  in 
1 834  .by  Rutgers  College,  New  Brunswick,  N,  jQ  contri- 
buted to  the  Review,  during  the  eleven  years  now  under 
review  from  January,  1829,  to  April,  1840,  thirty-six  arti- 
cles as  follows : 

1829.  Introductory  Lecture. — Public  Education. — Reply 
to  Dr.  Moses  Stuart's  Examination  of  the  Review  of  the 
American  Education  Society. 


JET.  3 1-42.]   AR  TICLES  IN  THE  «  PRINCE  TON  RE  VIE  W."  2  6 1 

1830.  Reply  to  Dr.  Moses  Stuart's  Postscript  to  his  Let- 
ter to  the  Editors  of  the  Biblical  ^/^r^r^.-4Regeneration 
and  the  Manner  of  its  Occurrence.5- Review  of  an  Article 
in  the  Christian  Spectator  on  Imputation. 

1831.  Sunday   Mails. — Sprague's   Lectures   to   Young 
People. — Doctrine  of  Imputation. — Remarks  on  Dr.  Cox's 
Communication. 

1832.  Hengstenberg   on   Daniel. — The   New   Divinity 
TriedJ 

1833.  Suggestions  to  Theological  Students.,. — Stuart  on 
the  Romans. 

1834.  Lachmann's  New  Testament. — The  Act  and  Tes- 
timony. 

1835.  The  Act  and  Testimony. — Barnes  on  the  Epistle 
to   the    Romans. — The   General   Assembly. — Narrative  of 
Reed  and  Matheson. 

1836.  Riickert's   Commentary  on  Romans — Slaveryi — 
The  General  Assembly. 

1 837.  ^Voluntary  Societies  and  Ecclesiastical  Organiza- 
tions.*—Bloomfield's   Greek  Testament. — The  Xieneral  As- 
sembly. 

1838.  Oxford  Tracts.— The  State  of  the  Church.— The 
General  Assembly. — West  India  Emancipation. 

1839.  Clapp's  Defence  of  the  Doctrine  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Churches. — The  General  Assembly. — Dr.  Dana's  Let- 
ters.— Testimonies  on  the  Doctrine  of  Imputation. 

1 840.  January.  Latest  Forms  of  Infidelity. 

The  most  important  of  these  articles  may  be  classified  as 
follows  for  the  purpose  of  a  brief  notice : 

I.  Those  relating  to  the  controversy  with  Professor 
Moses  Stuart  as  to  the  American  Education  Society.  Dr. 
Hodge,  in  his  "  Retrospect  of  the  History  of  the  Princeton 
Review \  1871,"  says  on  this  subject:  >"The  first  controversy 
on  which  the  Repertory  took  an  active  part  was  the  Educa- 
tion Question.  In  1829  the  General  Assembly  had  reor- 
ganized the  Board  of  Education,  and  called  upon  the 


262  THE  AMERICAN  EDUCATION  SOCIETY.  [1829. 

churches  to  sustain  it  in  providing  for  the  expenses  of  can- 
didates for  the  ministry  in  their  preparatory  studies.  At 
the  same  time  the  American  Education  Society,  a  voluntary 
society  having  its  origin  in  New  England,  and  its  chief  seat 
of  operations  in  Boston,  Mass.,  offered  to  grant  its  aid  to 
all  suitable  candidates  for  the  sacred  office  in  any  part  of 
the  United  States.  Branch  societies  were  organized  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  country,  and  a  large  number  of  Presby- 
terian churches  contributed  to  its  funds  in  preference  to  the 
treasury  of  our  own  Board.  In  the  July  number  of  the 
volume  for  1829,  the  late  Dr.  Carnahan,  President  of  the 
College  of  New  Jersey,  published  an  article  on  "  The  Gene- 
ral Assembly's  Board  of  Education  and  the  American  Edu- 
cation Society,"  in  which  the  objections  to  the  plan  of  the 
American  Society  were  briefly  and  clearly  stated.  This 
called  forth  a  long  communication  from  Professor  Stuart  of 
Andover,  in  reply.  Professor  Stuart's  article  was  printed 
at  length  in  our  October  number,  with  a  rejoinder  from  the 
conductor  (Dr.  H.)  of  this  Review.  A  separate  edition  of 
Professor  Stuart's  article,  with  a  postscript  of  sixteen  pages, 
being  published,  that  postscript  was  reviewed  in  our  num- 
ber for  January,  1830.  This  ended  the  discussion  as  far  as 
this  journal  was  concerned. 

"  In  this  controversy,  the  general  question  of  ecclesiastical 
boards  and  voluntary  societies  was  not  brought  under  dis- 
cussion. The  simple  point  was  the  wisdom,  propriety  and 
safety  of  the  plan  adopted  by  the  American  Society.  That 
society  not  only  required  its  beneficiaries  to  make  a  quar- 
terly report,  detailing  how  the  amount  they  had  received 
had  been  expended,  and  what  each  had  received  from  other 
sources,  but  regarded  its  contributions  as  loans.  All  the 
candidates  under  their  care  were  required  to  give  their  notes 
for  the  sums  received,  payable  in  one,  two  and  three  years 
after  the  close  of  their  preparatory  studies,  with  interest 
after  the  same  had  become  due.  All  the  candidates  for  the 
ministry  were  thus  placed  in  the  relation  of  debtors  to  the 


;ET.  3 1 .]        THE  AMERICAN  ED UCA  TION  SOCIE TY.  2  63 

society,  and  must  enter  on  their  work  burdened  by  this 
load  of  pecuniary  obligation. 

"To  this  it  was  objected,  i.  That  the  whole  plan  pro- 
ceeded on  a  wrong  principle.  It  assumed  that  the  candi- 
dates had  no  right  to  the  aid  afforded ;  that  it  was  a  pure 
gratuity,  which  the  donors,  if  they  pleased,  were  authorized 
to  demand  should  be  refunded.  This  placed  the  candidates 
in  the  position  of  "  charity  scholars."  Being  so  regarded 
by  their  patrons,  they  were  so  regarded  by  their  associates 
and  by  themselves.  This  was  an  injustice  and  an  injury. 
This  journal  took  the  ground,  'that  whenever  a  man  devotes 
his  whole  time  and  talents  to  the  service  of  any  community, 
at  its  request,  it  is  obligatory  on  that  community  to  provide 
for  his  support.'  The  recognition  of  this  principle  changes 
the  whole  status  of  the  candidate.  He  ceases  to  be  regarded 
as  an  object  of  charity.  All  ground  for  the  minute  inspec- 
tion into  his  receipts  and  expenditures  is  done  away  with. 
He  is  regarded  as  a  man  receiving  no  more  than  he  is  enti- 
tled to,  and  for  which  he  renders  a  full  return.  This  prin- 
ciple, it  was  contended,  was  scriptural,  lying  at  the  founda- 
tion of  the  institutions  and  commands  of  the  Bible.  It  was, 
moreover,  evidently  just  and  reasonable,  and  was  acted  on 
by  all  civilized  governments  in  the  education  of  young  men 
designed  for  the  public  service,  especially  in  the  navy  and 
army. 

"2.  It  was  objected  to  the  plan  of  the  American  Society 
that  it  was  unjust  to  bring  young  men  into  the  ministry 
burdened  with  debt.  The  salaries  of  young  ministers  are 
very  seldom  more  than  sufficient  for  their  support,  and  in 
the  majority  of  cases  utterly  inadequate  for  that  end.  If, 
in  addition  to  providing  for  their  necessities  under  these 
circumstances,  they  had  to  pay  the  money  advanced  for 
their  education,  they  could  not  fail  to  be  painfully  embar- 
rassed and  harassed.  To  be  in  debt  is  to  be  in  a  state  of 
depressing  anxiety. 

"3.  The  Scriptures  say:  'The  borrower  is  servant  to  the 


2  64  THE  AMERICAN  EDUCA  T1ON  SOCIE TY.  [1836. 

lender.'  If  the  plan  of  the  American  Society  had  been  fully 
carried  out,  the  great  body  of  the  younger  ministry  in  the 
Congregational  and  Presbyterian  Churches  would  have 
been  in  this  state  of  bondage  to  that  society.  Every  one 
knows  that  virtually  and  effectively  the  power  of  such 
societies  is  in  the  hands  of  the  executive  committee.  Thus, 
some  half  dozen  men,  with  no  official  relation  to  our  church, 
would  have  this  controlling  power  over  our  ministers. 
This  was  evidently  intolerable.  The  objection  was  not  that 
the  power  had  been  abused,  but  that  it  existed.  It  was  a 
power  of  dictating  to  a  large  proportion  of  the  pious  youth 
of  the  country  in  what  academy,  college  or  theological 
seminary  they  shall  pursue  their  studies.  It  is  the  power 
of  deciding  under  what  theological  influences  our  future 
ministers  are  to  be  formed.  It  is  the  power  of  holding  and 
influencing  these  ministers  as  bondmen  when  they  come 
out  into  the  Church. 

"  4.  This  society  was,  in  a  great  measure,  independent  of 
public  opinion ;  first,  because  it  elected  its  own  members ; 
and,  secondly,  because  its  income,  so  far  as  derived  from 
the  payment  of  the  notes  given  by  the  beneficiaries,  was 
not  derived  from  the  churches. 

"  The  General  Assembly's  plan  was  not  subject  to  these 
objections:  I.  Because  the  Assembly  did  not  elect  its  own 
members,  but  was  renewed  every  year  by  the  Presbyteries. 
2.  Because  its  Board  was  not  the  creditor  of  those  aided  by 
its  funds.  3.  Because  the  candidates  for  the  ministry  were 
not  under  its  control." 

II.  Two  of  these  articles,  that  on  "  The  General  Assem- 
bly, 1836,"  and  another  in  the  January  number  of  the  vol- 
ume for  1837  relate  to  the  respective  advantages  of  volun- 
tary societies  and  ecclesiastical  boards.  Of  this  Dr.  Hodge 
said  in  his  "  Retrospect,"  etc. :  "  Much  greater  interest 
attached  to  the  controversy  respecting  the  conduct  of  the 
work  of  missions,  foreign  and  domestic.  The  General  As- 
sembly in  1828  reorganized  its  Board  of  Domestic  Missions. 


MT.  39.]  ECCLESIASTICAL  BOARDS.  265 

The  American  Home  Missionary  Society  was  at  that  time 
in  operation,  and  rapidly  increasing  in  influence.  At  first, 
it  seemed  to  be  hoped  that  the  two  organizations  might 
operate  harmoniously  over  the  same  field.  The  General 
Assembly,  as  did  Dr.  Green  and  Dr.  Philips  and  other 
leading  friends  of  the  Assembly's  Board,  expressed  their 
cordial  willingness  that  all  Presbyterians  should  be  left  to 
their  unbiassed  choice  as  to  which  organization  they  should 
support.  But  it  was  soon  found  that  in  the  existing  state 
of  the  Church,  harmonious  action  was  impossible.  There 
were  so  many  interests  at  stake ;  so  many  causes  of  aliena- 
tion between  what  became  known  as  the  Old  and  New 
School  parties,  that  the  Assembly's  Board,  under  the  control 
of  the  one,  and  the  American  Society,  under  the  control  of 
the  other,  came  into  constant  and  painful  collision.  This 
of  necessity  gave  rise  to  serious  conflicts  in  the  General 
Assembly.  The  friends  of  the  American  Society  took  the 
ground  that  the  Assembly  had  no  right  to  conduct  the 
work  of  missions;  that  it  was  incompetent  for  that  purpose; 
that  voluntary  associations  were  more  trustworthy,  more 
efficient  and  more  healthful ;  that  two  organizations  for  the 
same  purpose  were  not  only  unnecessary,  but  injurious. 
They  endeavored,  therefore,  in  every  way,  to  embarrass  the 
Assembly's  Board.  In  the  Assembly  of  1836,  they  nomi- 
nated as  members  of  that  Board  men  known  to  be  hostile 
to  its  very  existence,  and  secured  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  votes  in  their  favor.  In  the  same  Assembly  they  suc- 
ceeded in  preventing  the  Assembly  establishing  a  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions.  One  of  the  reasons  most  strenuously 
urged  against  the  appointment  of  such  a  Board,  was  that 
the  Assembly  had  no  right  to  conduct  such  operations. 
On  this  point,  Dr.  James  Hoge,  one  of  the  wisest  and  most 
moderate  ministers  of  our  church,  said:  'As  the  subject 
has  been  proposed  in  other  forms,  I  have  always  objected. 
But  the  question  is  now  brought  before  us  in  a  new  form, 
and  is  to  be  decided  on  the  naked  ground  of  the  power  and 


266  ECCLESIASTICAL  BOARDS.  [1836. 

rights  of  the  Assembly  to  conduct  missions.  And  on  this 
ground  I  cannot  abandon  it  while  I  love  the  faith  and  order 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  further  said,  that  if  the 
majority  pursued  the  course  which  they  did  actually  take, 
'  it  would  convulse  the  church  to  the  very  centre.'  And  so 
it  did.  The  action  of  the  Assembly  of  1836  in  reference  to 
matters  of  doctrine  and  to  the  Boards  of  the  Church,  was 
the  proximate  cause  of  the  disruption  which  occurred  in 
the  following  year. 

"(The  question  of  Voluntary  Societies  was  not  an  isolated 
one.  ?  Its  decision  did  not  turn  upon  the  point,  which  mode 
of  conducting  benevolent  operations  was  in  itself  to  be  pre- 
ferred. It  was  far  more  comprehensive.  The  friends  of  the 
Assembly's  Board  not  only  contended  that  the  Assembly 
had  the  right  to  conduct  the  work  of  Missions,  Foreign  and 
Domestic,  but  that  it  was  highly  expedient  that  that  work 
should  be  under  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  Church ; 
that  the  selection,  sending  forth,  and  locating  ministers,  was 
properly  an  ecclesiastical  function,  and  that  it  was  to  the 
last  degree  unreasonable  and  dangerous  that  that  work 
should  be  committed  to  a  society  meeting  annually  for  a  few 
hours,  composed  of  all  who  chose  to  subscribe  to  its  funds, 
(which  was  the  fact  with  the  American  Home  Missionary 
Society),  and  to  a  large  degree  controlled  by  Congrega- 
tionalists,  hostile  on  principle  to  our  polity,  if  not  to  our 
doctrines.  (Besides  the  objections  founded  on  principle, 
there  were  others  not  less  cogent  founded  on  the  action  of 
the  American  Home  Missionary  Society.  It  was  regarded 
as  a  great  party  engine,  devoting,  apparently,  its  immense 
influence  to  revolutionizing  the  Church.  It  sent  out  men 
educated  in  New  England,  holding  sentiments  condemned 
not  only  by  Old  School  Presbyterians,  but  by  the  Woods, 
Tylers,  Nettletons,  of  New  EnglancQand  by  such  men  as 
Drs.  Richards,  Fisher  and  Griffin  of  our  own  church.  Its 
friends  and  beneficiaries  voted  en  masse  in  the  General  As- 
sembly against  the  condemnation  of  those  sentiments,  and 


-*r.  32-35.]     HIS  ARTICLES  ON  "IMPUTATION?  &c.          267 

in  favor  of  allowing  men  never  ordained  as  elders,  sitting 
and  voting  in  our  highest  judicatories.  It  is  no  wonder, 
therefore,  that  this  controversy  excited  so  much  feeling. 
Throughout  the  struggle  this  journal  sided  uniformly  and 
earnestly  with  the  friends  of  the  Assembly's  Boards." 

III.  A  third  class  offarticles  are  those  on  "  Imputation," 
"  Regeneration,  and  the  Manner  of  its  Occurrence,"  and  the 
"  New  Divinity  Tried,"  which  together  with  his  Commen- 
tary on  the  Romans,  first  established  Dr.  Hodge's  reputa- 
tion as  a  theologian^'  Of  these  articles  he  says  in  his  "Retro- 
spect," &c.,  1871 : — "As  early  in  the  history  of  this  Journal 
as  1830,  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  published  two  articles, 
one  on  'The  Early  History  of  Pelagianism ;'  the  other  on 
'/The  Doctrine  of  the  Church  on  Original  Sin;'  and,  in 
1832,  another  on  'The  Articles  of  the  Synod  of  Dort'  To 
the  first  of  these  the  Christian  Spectator  for  June,  1830,  pub- 
lished a  critique,  over  the  signature  of  '  A  Protestant,' 
(Prof  Stuart),  which  was  reviewed  (by  Dr.  Hodge)  in  our 
October  number  for  the  same  year.  The  discussion  was 
continued  in  the  Spectator,  in  the  number  for  March,  1831, 
which  contained  two  articles  in  reply  to  our  review ;  one 
from  '  Protestant,'  and  the  other  from  the  editors,  con- 
tinued and  completed  in  the  June  number.  Of  these  arti- 
cles this  journal  contained  a  review  published  in  October  of 
the  same  year,  (on  '  The  Doctrine  of  Imputation,'  by  Dr. 
Hodge).  See  also  the  article  entitled  '  Testimonies  on  the 
Doctrine  of  Imputation,'  1839,  °f  which  twenty-four  pages 
are  filled  with  quotations  from  the  Protestant  Confessions 
and  Theologians,  in  support  of  that  doctrine.  The  same 
subject  was  discussed  in  review  of  Professor  Stuart's  Com- 
mentary on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  1833,  and  of  Mr. 
Barnes'  Commentary  on  the  same  Epistle,  1835,  and  inci- 
dentally in  several  other  communications  in  subsequent 
years. 

"  At  the  same  time  the  doctrine  of  Regeneration  was 
under  discussion.  It  was  maintained,  by  some  prominent 


268  HIS  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY  ARTICLES.  [1835. 

theologians  among  us,  that  regeneration  was  the  sinner's 
own  act;  that  it  consisted  in  his  making  for  himself ' a  new 
heart.'  What  that  was,  was  differently  explained.  Accord- 
ing to  some  it  was  loving  God ;  according  to  others,  it  was 
the  purpose  to  seek  happiness  in  God  instead  of  in  the  world ; 
according  to  others,  it  was  the  purpose  to  seek  the  happi- 
ness of  the  universe.  According  to  all  the  new  views  man 
was  active  in  regeneration.  The  idea  of  passivity,  as  it  was 
called,  was  held  up  to  ridicule.  The  old  doctrine,  common 
to  all  Christian  Churches,  that  regeneration  is  the  act  of 
God ;  that  man  is  the  subject,  and  not  the  agent  of  the 
change ;  and  that  it  consists  in  the  quickening  of  the  soul, 
or  imparting  to  it  a  new  principle  of  life,  a  new  disposition, 
or,  in  the  old  scholastic  language,  '  a  new  habit  of  grace/ 
was  vindicated  in  the  article  on  '  Regeneration,  and  the 
Manner  of  its  Occurrence,'  (by  Dr.  H.).  To  this  article  Dr. 
Samuel  H.  Cox  replied  at  length  in  our  number  for  Octo- 
ber, 1831,  which  number  contained  our  answer  (by  Dr.  H.) 
to  his  '  Remarks.'  " 

IV.  In  1835  he  began  to  write  a  series  of  annual  articles 
in  review  of  the  action  of  each  successive  General  Assembly, 
in  which  he  furnished  a  brief  recapitulation  and  analysis  of 
the  proceedings,  and  discussed  the  doctrinal  and  ecclesiasti- 
cal principles  involved.  He  contributed  each  of  the  articles 
of  this  series  from  1835  to  1867  inclusive,  with  the  excep- 
tion probably  of  1841.  They  contained  a  summary  of  the 
arguments  used  by  the  prominent  speakers  on  each  side  of 
disputed  questions ;  they  are  to  this  day  of  great  historical 
value,  affording  information  not  elsewhere  accessible. 

He  says  of  them  himself:  "  It  is  not  the  object  of  these 
accounts  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Assembly  to  give  the 
minutes  of  that  body,  or  to  record  all  the  motions  and  de- 
bates, but  simply  to  select  the  topics  of  most  importance, 
and  to  give  the  best  view  we  can  of  the  arguments  on  either 
side.  We  make  no  pretensions  to  indifference  or  neutrality. 
The  arguments  of  those  from  whom  we  differ,  we  try  to 


^T.  35-38.]     REVIEWS  OF  STUART  AND  BARNES.  '  269 

give  with  perfect  fairness,  as  far  as  possible,  in  the  language 
of  the  reports  given  by  their  friends.  But  we  do  not  un- 
dertake to  argue  the  case  for  them.  This  we  could  not  do 
honestly  or  satisfactorily.  On  the  other  hand,  we  endeavor 
to  make  the  best  argument  we  can  in  favor  of  the  measures 
we  approve,  using  all  the  speeches  of  the  supporters  of  those 
measures,  and  putting  down  anything  which  may  happen 
to  occur  to  ourselves." 

Hence  it  has  come  to  pass  that  they  contain  an  exposi- 
tion of  his  views  of  all  the  fundamental  principles  underly- 
ing the  constitution  of  the  Church,  and  its  administration, 
and  of  the  practical  application  of  these  principles  to  the 
various  historical  conditions  experienced  by  the  American 
Presbyterian  Church  during  that  long  period.  These,  to- 
gether with  a  series  of  articles  upon  the  "  Idea  of  the 
Church"  and  its  various  attributes,  which  appeared  from 
1845  to  1856,  are  the  source  from  which  the  important 
[posthumous  work  on  "  Church  Polity "  has  been  compiled 
by  one  of  his  best  pupils,  Rev.  Wm.  DurantJ 

V.  His  reviews  of  the  Commentaries  on  the  Epistle  to 
the  Romans  of  Stuart,  1833;  of  Barnes,  1835;  of  Riickert, 
1836.  For  Professor  Stuart,  Professor  Hodge  felt  and 
expressed  the  strongest  admiration  and  gratitude.  "We 
have,  therefore,  long  been  in  the  habit  of  regarding  Prof. 
Stuart  as  one  of  the  greatest  benefactors  of  the  Church  in 
our  country,  because  he  has  been  the  principal  means  of 
turning  the  attention  of  the  rising  generation  of  ministers 
to  this  method  (philological  and  exegetical)  of  studying  the 
Bible.  This  we  doubt  not  is  the  great  service  of  his  life :  a 
service  for  which  the  whole  church  owes  him  gratitude  and 
honor,  and  which  will  be  remembered  when  present  differ- 
ences and  difficulties  are  all  forgotten,  We  do  him,  there- 
fore, unfeigned  homage  as  the  great  American  reformer  of 
biblical  study;  as  the  introducer  of  a  new  era,  and  the  most 
efficient  opponent  of  metaphysical  theology.  Alas,  that  he 
should  have  himself  fallen  on  that  very  enchanted  ground, 


2  7O  RE  VIE  WS  OF  STUAR  T  AND  BARNES.        [  1 833-36. 

from  which  it  was  the  business  and  glory  of  his  life  to  with- 
call  his  younger  brethren." 

Mr.  Hodge's  criticisms  are  directed  to  the  exposure  of 
Prof.  Stuart's  false  and  inconsistent  metaphysical  theology, 
as  far  as  that  was  involved  in  his  interpretation  of  the  Epis- 
tle to  the  Romans.  "  We  have  now  surely  seen  enough  to 
convince  the  reader  of  two  things :  First,  that  the  doctrine 
of  imputation  is  not  touched  either  by  Prof.  Stuart's  exegesis 
or  metaphysics.  It  is  precisely  where  it  was  before ;  and, 
second,  that  his  whole  exposition  of  Rom.  v.  12-19  1S  so 
inconsistent  with  itself  that  it  cannot  possibly  be  correct. 
In  reading  this  portion  of  his  commentary  we  have  been 
reminded  of  a  remark  of  Lord  Erskine  in  reference  to  one 
of  Burke's  efforts  in  the  House  of  Commons  :  '  It  is  a  sad 
failure;  but  Burke  could  bear  it.'"  Dr.  William  Cunning- 
ham, "  Reformers  and  the  Reformation,"  speaks  in  the 
highest  terms  of  this  article. 

With  reference  to  Mr.  Barnes'  book,  Mr.  Hodge  asserted 
that  "he  had  plucked  his  pear  before  it  was  ripe."  That  it 
gave  evidence  of  prejudice  and  crudity  of  opinion,  and  was 
transparently  inconsistent  in  the  various  statements  of  doc- 
trines it  contained,  was  the  product  of  a  perverting  contro- 
versial animus.  "  We  beg  our  readers  to  bear  in  mind  that 
our  review  is  not  of  an  aggressive  character.  The  book, 
which  we  have  been  examining,  contains  a  violent,  and,  as 
we  think,  gratuitous  attack  upon  some  of  the  more  impor- 
tant doctrines  of  the  church.  If  there  be,  therefore,  an 
offensive  and  defensive  attitude  in  relation  to  this  subject, 
we  certainly  are  in  the  latter.  Had  Mr.  Barnes  adhered  to 
his  design  and  given,  according  to  his  own  views,  '  the  real 
meaning  of  the  epistle  without  any  regard  to  any  existing 
theological  system,'  what  a  different  book  would  he  have 
produced !  So  far,  however,  from  his  having  no  regard  to 
any  system,  the  system  of  doctrines  contained  in  the  stan- 
dards of  the  Presbyterian  Church  seems  to  have  been  con- 
stantly before  his  mind.  Instead  of  simply  stating  and 


MT.  37.]  COMMENTAR  Y  ON  R OMANS. 

defending  his  own  views,  he  frequently  and  at  length  attacks 
those  of  the  Confession  of  Faith.  He  goes  out  of  his  way 
repeatedly  for  this  very  purpose;  introducing  these  topics 
where  the  passage  on  which  he  comments  gives  not  even  a 
plausible  pretext  for  so  doing." 

VI.  There  remain  a  number  of  important  articles,  the 
consideration  of  which,  for  various  reasons,  we  must  defer 
to  a  subsequent  chapter.  The  articles  on  the  "Act  and 
Testimony,"  October,  1834,  and  January,  1835,  and  on  the 
"State  of  the  Church,"  1838,  will  be  considered  in  connec- 
tion with  the  "Disruption  of  the  Presbyterian  Church/' 
under  the  next  chapter.  The  article  on  "Slavery"  will  be 
considered  in  connection  with  that  on  "Abolitionism," 
under  the  date  of  the  latter  article,  1844.  The  article  on 
"  The  Oxford  Tracts  "  belongs  to  a  class  of  articles  on  the 
Church  appearing  from  1845  to  1856. 

HIS    COMMENTARY   ON    ROMANS. 

It  was  during  the  period  embraced  in  this  chapter  that 
Dr.  Hodge  published  his  first  books.  [His  Commentary  on 
the  Romans  was  written  during  the  darkest  days  of  his 
confinement,  the  winter  of  1834  and  '35,  while  stretched 
horizontally  on  a  couch,  and  his  right  limb  often  bound  in 
a  steel-splint.j  It  was  published  by  Grigg  &  Elliott  in 
Philadelphia,  but  soon  afterwards  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Wm.  S.  Martien.  A  cheaper  and  abridged  edition  for  the 
use  of  Bible-classes  was  published  in  1836.  A  new  edition 
revised  and  in  a  great  measure  re-written  was  published  in 
1864. 

Every  good  commentary  on  such  texts  as  that  of  Paul's 
Epistle  to  the  Romans  must  possess  in  greater  or  less  de- 
gree two  distinct  qualities.  It  must  show  evidence  of 
scholarship  and  exegetical  tact  and  skill  in  the  interpreta- 
tion in  detail  of  the  words  and  sentences  constituting  the 
original  text.  It  must  also  discover  a.  comprehension  of 
the  subject  discussed,  and  of  the  design  of  the  writer  and 


272  COMMENTAR  Y  ON  R  OMANS.  [  1 835. 

the  scope  of  the  ideas  which  constitute  the  subject-matter  of 
the  treatise  commented  on.  It  is  self-evident  that  in  Dr. 
Hodge's  Commentary  the  latter  of  the  two  characteristics 
predominates.  He  has  done  his  best  honestly  to  get  at 
what  the  words  and  sentences  mean.  But  he  has  written 
in  a  prevailingly  doctrinal  interest.  And  in  expounding 
that  doctrine  he  is  as  clear  as  a  crystal  in  the  sunlight.  He 
gives  an  analysis  of  the  epistle  as  a  whole.  He  gives  the 
contents  of  each  chapter;  an  analysis  of  each  logical  sub- 
division of  the  apostle's  argument;  then  a  commentary,  or 
exegetical  discussion  of  each  clause  and  verse ;  and  then  he 
presents  a  minute  statement  of  all  the  doctrines  taught  in 
the  section,  and  closes  with  a  series  of  remarks  illustrative 
and  practical.  The  church  at  that  time  was  convulsed  with 
the  controversies  growing  out  of  the  intrusion  into  a  com- 
munity deriving  its  Presbyterianism  from  Scotland  and  the 
Westminster  Assembly,  of  \the  new  anthropology  of  the 
New  England  School]  These  "  improvements  "  were  rather 
negative  than  positive,  and  involved  a  rejection  of  the  con- 
sensus of  the  Reformed  Churches  as  to  the  imputation  of 
the  guilt  of  Adam's  sin  to  his  descendants,  as  to  original 
sin,  as  to  inability,  and  as  to  the  part  of  God  in  man's 
regeneration.  'From  early  in  1830  the  Biblical  Repertory 
had  been  engaged  in  an  active  controversy  with  the  cham- 
pions of  the  New  Theology  on  these  points.  YLDr.  Stuart 
and  Mr.  Barnes  published  Commentaries  on  Romans,  in 
which  the  new  doctrines  were  brought  into  association  with 
the  word  of  God.  Dr.  Hodge  wrote  his  Commentary  under 
these  moral  and  ecclesiastical  conditions,  and  he  has  striven 
to  defend  the  ancient  faithjof  the  Reformation  by  a  faithful 
appeal  to  exegesis,  on  the  side  which  that  faith  presents  to 
the  hostile  lines  of  what  was  then  known  as  the  "  improve- 
ments "  in  theology  imported  from  New  England. 

In  his  new  edition  published  in  1864,  he  again  reviewed 
his  whole  work,  and  re-stated  and  defended  his  interpreta- 
tion with  the  added  light  of  Meyer  and  other  German  com- 


JET.  3  7 .]  COMMENTA  RY  ON  R  OMANS. 

mentators,  and  with  additional  notice  of  the  realistic  theo- 
ries, which  lie  over  against  the  truth  on  the  side  opposite 
to  those  New  England  theories  against  which,  in  his  first, 
edition^his  energies  were  chiefly  directed. 

While  writing  his  original  Commentary,  because  confined 
to  his  couch,  Dr.  Hodge  communicated  with  Dr.  A.  Alex- 
ander by  an  interchange  of  notes.  Although  they  were  all 
designed  for  a  temporary  purpose,  and  no  effort  was  made 
to  preserve  any  of  them,  it  happens  that  a  few  of  these  waifs 
have  drifted  into  the  hands  of  the  compiler.  They  are 
given  because  they  illustrate  the  relations  of  the  two  men, 
and  because  they  prove,  what  has  sometimes  been  denied, 
that]  Dr.  Hodge  never  departed  from  the  theology  of  his 
beloved  teacher. 


DR.    A.    ALEXANDER    TO    DR.    HODGE. 

My  Dear  Sir : — I  have  read  over  with  some  care  the  whole  of 
these  sheets.  I  am  truly  thankful  that  you  have  been  enabled  to 
write  so  much  in  the  diseased  state  of  your  body,  and  I  sincerely 
rejoice  that  God  has  helped  you  so  thoroughly  to  expound  this  diffi- 
cult and  important  portion  of  divine  revelation.  In  the  main,  I  am 
deeply  persuaded  that  you  have  brought  to  view  the  doctrines  which 
the  Holy  Ghost  intended  to  reveal  by  the  pen  of  Paul.  In  a  few 
minor  points  I  hesitate  as  to  the  correctness  of  your  interpretation. 
It  seems  to  me  that  there  is  less  clearness  and  lucid  order  in  your 
exposition  of  the  fourth  chapter  than  of  any  other,  as  far  as  you  have 
gone.  Indeed,  this  part  is  more  involved  and  intricate  than  any 
other.  I  think  your  exposition  of  the  latter  part  of  the  fifth  chapter 
is  admirable.  It  exhibits  the  truth  with  a  lustre  that  cannot  easily  be 
resisted.  I  cannot  easily  express  how  much  good  will  probably  result 
from  the  publication  of  this  exposition.  The  language  of  the  whole 
is  characterized  by  simplicity  and  conciseness,  and  needs  no  improve- 
ment. 

The  parts  entitled  "Doctrines"  and  "Remarks,"  especially  the 
latter,  might  be  advantageously  amplified.  There  are  too  many 
parentheses.  Often  the  sentence  would  be  more  perspicuous  by 
leaving  out  the  dashes  and  parentheses. 

Some  method  must  be  invented  to  prevent  the  Commentary  from 
being  encumbered  with  the  references.  Consult  James  and  Addison 
18 


2  74  COMMENTAR  Y  ON  ROMANS.  [1835. 

on  this  point.     The  text  of  each  chapter  had  better  be  placed  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Commentary. 

When  your  exposition  depends  on  a  criticism  of  the  original  words, 
it  will  be  best  to  subjoin  a  critical  note  at  the  bottom  of  the  page ;  but 
let  the  text  of  your  Commentary  be  pure  English.  By  thisnneans  it 
will  be  studied  by  all  intelligent  Presbyterians,  and  will  become  a 
hand-book  for  teachers  of  Sunday  Schools  and  Bible  Classes. 

I  entreat  you  to  go  on  with  the  work  as  speedily  as  you  can.  I  am 
anxious  to  have  it  in  general  circulation.  It  ought  to  be  so  continued 
as  to  make  an  8vo.  volume  of  500  pages. 

I  assure  you  I  have  not  for  a  long  time  read  anything  with  so  much 
interest  as  these  sheets. 

I  am  affectionately  yours, 

A.  ALEXANDER. 


DR.    HODGE   TO    DR.   A.    ALEXANDER. 

My  Dear  Sir: — Few  things  in  my  life  have  given  me  more  pleasure 
than  the  approbation  which  you  expressed  of  the  part  of  the  Com- 
mentary on  the  Romans,  which  you  were  kind  enough  to  look  over. 
I  trust,  too,  that  I  shall  derive  great  good  from  having  the  prospect 
of  usefulness  presented  as  something  attainable. 

I  will  endeavor  to  profit  by  all  your  suggestions.  I  feared  that  the 
Commentary  on  the  fourth  chapter  would  not  be  satisfactory  to 
others,  as  it  is  not  to  myself.  I  find  great  difficulty  often  where  there 
seems  to  be  the  least.  Though  I  would  not  make  the  remark  as  an 
apology  for  my  failure  in  this  case,  yet  there  seem  to  be  many  pas- 
sages in  which  the  sacred  writers,  who  wrote  as  men,  are  obscure  and 
confused  in  themselves.  In  many  cases  of  apparent  confusion  there 
is  a  real  principle  of  logical  arrangement  which  it  requires  only  a 
little  attention  to  discover  and  exhibit.  But  in  others  there  seems  to 
be  no  such  principle  any  more  than  there  is  in  the  HQth  Psalm. 
This  remark,  I  know,  very  rarely  applies  to  the  writings  of  Paul,  and 
certainly  not  to  the  former  part,  at  least,  of  the  fourth  chapter. 

I  now  send  you  the  Commentary  on  chapters  vi.  and  vii.  As  a  great 
part  of  the  paper  is  written  upon  only  on  one  side,  it  appears  much 
longer  than  it  really  is.  In  looking  over  the  Commentary  on  the 
early  part  of  the  sixth  chapter,  which  I  think  peculiarly  difficult,  I 
feel  a  good  deal  dissatisfied.  It  has  to  myself  the  appearance  of 
being  written  during  the  actual  process  of  studying  out  the  meaning 
of  the  passage,  and  might,  perhaps,  be  improved  as  to  clearness  by 
being  written  over  again. 

I  feel  grateful  to  you  for  taking  the  trouble  to  read  my  manuscript. 


JET.  37.]  COMMENTAR  Y  ON  R  OMANS.  275 

You  can  hardly  know  how  much  peace  of  mind  your  imprimatur,  my 
revered  Father,  gives  me. 

Very  respectfully, 

C.  HODGE. 


DR.    A.    ALEXANDER   TO    DR.    HODGE. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  have  cursorily  read  your  manuscript  on  the  sixth 
and  seventh  chapters  of  the  Romans.  As  before,  I  think  you  have  done 
best  on  the  most  difficult  and  disputed  part.  The  opinion  which  I  have 
formed  of  the  exposition  of  the  two  chapters  bears  a  near  analogy  to 
the  opinion  which  I  have  already  expressed  on  the  fourth  and  fifth.  I 
do  not  think  of  anything  that  could  improve  the  seventh.  It  comes 
up  fully  to  my  ideas  of  the  apostle's  meaning;  and  I  have  no  objec- 
tion to  make  to  the  exegesis  of  the  sixth,  but  it  is  not  so  luminous  as 
the  exegesis  of  the  seventh.  The  only  thing  which  I  would  like  to 
have  added  is  a  few  observations  on  the  meaning  of  the  phrase 
"buried  with  him  in  baptism,"  to  show  that  it  does  not  necessarily 
relate  to  immersion.  Readers  will  expect  something  of  this  kind. 

If  you  live  to  execute  this  work,  you  may  be  contented  to  say,  if 
it  should  be  the  will  of  God,  "  Now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in 
peace,  etc."  I  do  believe  that  it  will  do  more  to  confirm  the  ortho- 
dox faith  of  our  church  than  any  book  which  has  been  published  for 
a  century.  I  must  still  exhort  you,  therefore,  to  labor  at  it.as  much 
and  as  fast  as  you  can.  Some  measures  ought  to  be  taken  to  have 
the  printing  commenced  by  the  beginning  of  winter. 

Yours  affectionately,  A.  A. 


TO   DR.    H.    FROM    DR.    A.    A. 

My  Dear  Sir: — The  eighth  chapter  of  Romans  is,  at  the  same  time, 
one  of  the  most  precious  and  difficult  portions  of  Scripture. 

Forty  years  ago  I  was  led  to  study  the  first  part  of  it  from  hearing 
an  Arminian  preacher  expound  it  very  ingeniously  on  Arminian 
principles.  For  some  time  I  hesitated  whether  his  exposition  was  not 
correct,  but  after  studying  it  intensely,  as  I  travelled  on  my  mission, 
I  came  ultimately  to  the  same  views  of  its  meaning  as  those  which 
you  have  given  in  your  Commentary.  And  all  subsequent  examina- 
tions have  confirmed  the  opinions  then  adopted.  But  I  can  scarcely 
designate  a  portion  of  Scripture  in  which  all  the  expressions  are  so 
susceptible  of  a  double  meaning. 

On  the  very  "vexed  passage"  about  "the  creature  being  subject  to 
vanity"  you  have  also  given  my  .opinion  exactly.  Dr.  J.  P.  Wilson, 


276  COMMENTARY  ON  ROMANS.  [1835. 

Dr.  Green,  and,  I  believe,  Dr.  Miller,  held  that  by  xriaig  the  body 
should  be  understood.  "The  redemption  of  our  body"  they  con- 
sidered as  expository  of  the  whole  passage.  Perhaps  you  ought  to 
notice  this  interpretation,  though  I  doubt  whether  it  can  be  found  in 
any  respectable  commentator. 

The  only  passage  in  which  I  have  any  difficulty  in  adopting  your 
explanation  relates  to  the  "  witness  of  the  Spirit,"  which  you  seem  to 
consider  of  the  nature  of  the  direct  suggestion  of  a  truth  to  the  mind. 
Now  this  would  partake  of  the  nature  of  inspiration,  and  lays  a  foun- 
dation for  enthusiasm.  My  opinion  is  that  the  witness  is  indirect  by 
the  illumination  of  the  mind  through  the  word,  thus  filling  it  with 
love  and  peace,  and  these  graces,  in  present,  conscious  exercise,  are 
"  the  witness  of  the  Spirit."  Please  to  re-examine  the  comment  on 
this  passage. 

I  am  gratified  exceedingly,  and  thankful  to  God,  that  you  have 
been  enabled  to  go  forward  so  expeditiously  in  this  work.  My  opin- 
ion of  its  value  increases  with  the  perusal  of  every  new  portion.  As 
soon  as  you  have  reached  the  twelfth  chapter  you  ought  to  prepare  a 
prospectus  and  subscription  paper.  It  will  not  be  necessary  for  you 
to  run  any  risk  in  the  publication.  A  sufficient  number  of  subscribers 
can  soon  be  obtained  to  authorize  the  publication  of  a  large  edition. 
It  will  possess  an  incalculable  advantage  over  Stuart's  and  other 
learned  works,  as  it  can  be  read  by  the  plain,  intelligent  Christian, 
who  knows  nothing  of  the  original. 

Please  let  me  have  the  ninth  chapter  as  soon  as  it  is  completed. 
This  will  be  easy  after  you  have  surmounted  the  difficulties  of  the 
eighth,  except  verse  3d.  * 

I  am  affectionately  yours,  A.  A. 


DR.   HODGE  TO   DR.    A.   ALEXANDER. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  send,  agreeably  to  your  request,  the  Commentary 
on  the  ninth  chapter,  and  a  few  verses  of  the  tenth. 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  much  your  approbation  cheers  and  encou- 
rages me,  and  especially  the  coincidence  of  the  Commentary  with 
your  own  views  of  the  apostle's  meaning.  Fashioned  as  I  have  been 
by  your  hands,  you  can  indeed  hardly  be  surprised  at  finding  your 
own  opinions  more  or  less  correctly  reflected  from  anything  which  I 
may  write. 

I  find,  on  reverting  to  the  passage,  that  what  is  said  of  the  "wit- 
ness of  the  Spirit"  is  inaccurately  expressed.  I  did  not  intend  to 
intimate  that  the  Spirit  conveyed  any  new  truth  to  the  mind,  but 
rather  produced  a  new  feeling.  As  when  he  "  sheds  abroad  the  love 


JET.  43.]  TRANSLATED  INTO  FRENCH.  2JJ 

of  God  in  the  heart,"  he  produces  an  intimate  persuasion  that  the 
soul  is  the  object  of  divine  favor.  And  when  he  bears  witness  to  the 
truth  he  produces  a  like  persuasion  that  the  gospel  is  of  God.  In  the 
case  referred  to  in  the  eighth  chapter,  I  suppose  Paul  meant  to  say 
that  the  Spirit  produced  the  conviction  that  God  regards  us  as  His 
children.  All  these  cases  seemed  to  me  to  be  analogous.  All  that  I 
meant  to  say  was  what  I  understood  our  Confession  to  say  when  it 
refers  our  full  persuasion  and  assurance  of  the  truth  "  to  the  inward 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  bearing  witness  by  and  with  the  word  in  our 
hearts."  This  seemed  to  me  something  different  from  the  mere 
judgment  of  the  mind  on  the  evidence  afforded  by  the  nature  of  its 
feelings  to  the  fact  of  the  divine  favor.  It  appeared  to  me  that  the 
apostle,  if  the  cvv  in  avufiaprvpel  is  to  be  urged,  meant  to  distinguish 
between  the  evidence  which  consists  in  filial  feelings  towards  God 
and  the  persuasion  of  the  divine  favor  which  the  Spirit  sweetly  insin- 
uates into  the  mind  when  those  feelings  are  in  exercise. 

I  should  be  glad  to  know  whether  you  still  think  my  views,  as  thus 
explained,  incorrect.  For,  if  you  do,  the  Commentary  can  easily  be 
still  further  modified  so  as  to  express  the  idea  more  generally,  and 
consequently  in  a  way  less  liable  to  objection. 

Should  Providence  permit  me  to  get  to  the  end  of  the  ninth  chap- 
ter, I  have  thought  it  would  be  best  to  turn  back  to  the  beginning. 
The  plan  of  the  work  has  been  so  much  enlarged  as  I  advanced  that 
the  Commentary  on  the  first  three  or  four  chapters  must  be  re-written 
in  order  to  make  the  work  uniform.  When  the  Commentary  on  the 
first  eleven  chapters  is  completed  the  printing  might  commence  at 
any  time;  the  residue  could,  Providence  permitting,  be  got  ready 
before  it  was  required. 

With  filial  respect  and  affection, 

Yours,  C.  HODGE. 

Early  in  1841  this  Commentary  was  published  in  France. 
The  translation  was  made  by  the  Rev.  Adolphe  Monod  of 
Montauban,  at  the  instance  of  the  venerable  Professor  V.  A. 
Stapfer,  who  had  made  Mr.  Hodge's  acquaintance  in  Paris 
in  1826,  and  had  subsequently  corresponded  with  him.  The 
means  to  meet  the  expense  of  the  enterprise  were  collected 
through  the  agency  of  Rev.  Robert  Baird,  D.  D.,  the  emi- 
nent agent  in  Europe  of  the  Foreign  Evangelical  Society. 
In  his  preface  Dr.  Monod  said : 

"  I  am  authorized  to  say  that  Mr.  Stapfer  attaches  the 


278  TRANSLATED  INTO  FRENCH.  [1841. 

highest  value  to  the  Commentary  of  Dr.  Hodge,  and  that 
of  all  the  works  which  have  in  our  day  been  devoted  to  the 
Epistle  to  the  Romans,  there  is  none  which  appears  to  him, 
upon  the  whole,  superior,  nor  perhaps  equal  to  this. 

"  It  possesses  qualities  that  are  among  the  most  valuable 
that  can  be  desired  in  such  a  work,  and  which  we  have  sel- 
dom found  elsewhere  so  combined  and  carried  to  such 
extent.  A  pure  and  vigorous  spirit ;  a  simple  and  precise 
style ;  an  intelligent  and  clear  exegesis ;  a  constant  care  to 
dwell  upon  those  points  which  embarrass  the  reader  of  the 
Bible;  a  profound  examination  of  all  the  great  questions ; 
substantial  observations;  solid  and  well-drawn  inferences. 
When  we  add  that  there  is  evident  in  every  part  a  spirit 
which  is  jealous  for  the  divine  doctrine  and  the  divine  glory, 
a  soul  deeply  pious  and  ripe  in  the  experience  of  the  Chris- 
tian life ;  in  fine,  an  unction  of  mingled  sweetness  and 
gravity,  which  would  almost  lead  one  to  conjecture  that 
our  Commentary  was  painfully  written  upon  a  bed  of  suf- 
fering,— our  readers  will  understand  the  continued  interest 
with  which  we  have  read  the  work  from  beginning  to  end. 

"  Dr.  Hodge  belongs  to  the  religious  opinion  known  in 
America  by  the  name  of  the  '  Old  School.'  His  doctrine  is 
precisely  that  of  our  own  churches,  and  it  is  exhibited  in 
the  Commentary  with  remarkable  distinctness  and  vigor.  If 
we  may  venture  the  inquiry,  we  would  ask  as  to  this  point 
whether  the  matter  is  not  rather  more  precise  and  formal  in 
Dr.  H.'s  exposition,  than  in  the  Bible  itself.  We  have 
learned  from  this  Holy  Book  to  have  some  dread  of  for- 
mulas that  are  too  straitened,  and  of  what  Felix  Neff,  with 
his  usual  originality  calls  '  squared  doctrines.'  Happy  are 
the  authors  who  know  how  to  preserve  the  proportions  and 
balance  which  the  Holy  Spirit  has  observed  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  various  topics  of  divine  revelation." 

The  editor  of  the  "  London  Patriot,"  in  a  notice  of  Barnes' 
"  Notes  on  the  Romans,"  naively  remarks  : — "  Mr.  Barnes 
acknowledges  his  obligations  to  Calvin,  Doddridge,  Mac- 


ACT.  42.]  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY.  2?$ 

knight,  Rosenmuller,  Tholuck,  and  Flatt.  We  regret  that 
he  does  not  appear  to  have  seen  Dr.  Hodge's  admirable 
Exposition  of  this  Epistle,  which  would  have  been  of  more 
use  for  his  purpose  than  all  the  rest." 

HIS     CONSTITUTIONAL     HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES. 

In  the  early  part  of  1839,  he  published  the  first  volume 
of  his  "  Constitutional  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States,"  and  the  second  volume  in  the  early 
part  of  1 840.^  This  was  for  him  the  least  natural,  and  most 
laborious  work  he  ever  undertook. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Oct.  12,  1838. 

My  Dear  Brother: — I  have  before  now  read  volumes  to  feel  au- 
thorized to  make  one  assertion.  I  want  to  state  in  few  words  what 
were  the  constituent  materials  and  peculiar  views  of  our  church  at 
the  beginning,  and  to  do  this  requires  a  good  deal  of  previous  read- 
ing. I  am  not  the  man  for  such  business.  My  lameness  is  more  in 
my  way  now  than  it  ever  has  been,  as  I  have  to  depend  on  others  to 
make  search  for  old  things  in  my  behalf. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 

The  design  and  character  of  this  work  is  stated  in  his 
preface  to  the  first  volume,  March,  1839. 

"  During  the  past  summer,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hoge,  of  Ohio, 
wrote  to  one  of  his  friends  in  Philadelphia,  stating  that  a 
work  was  greatly  needed,  which  should  give  a  distinct 
account  of  the  present  controversies  in  our  Church.  He 
conceived  that  in  order  to  the  proper  exhibition  of  the  sub- 
ject, the  documentary  history  of  the  formation  of  the  first 
Presbytery,  of  the  Adopting  Act,  of  the  great  Schism,  of 
the  union  of  the  two  Synods,  and  of  the  formation  of  our 
present  constitution,  should  be  clearly  presented  to  the 
public.  The  gentleman  to  whom  this  letter  was  addressed 
submitted  it  to  a  meeting  of  clergymen  and  laymen,  who 


280  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY.  [1839. 

all  concurred  in  the  opinion  that  such  a  work  ought  to  be 
prepared,  and  united  in  requesting  the  undersigned  to 
undertake  the  task.  The  plan  was  afterwards  enlarged,  and 
the  writer  was  led  to  undertake  a  general  review  of  the 
History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States. 
The  design  of  this  work  is  to  exhibit  the  true  character  of 
our  Church ;  to  show  on  what  principles  it  was  founded 
and  governed;  in  other  words,  to  exhibit  historically  its 
constitution,  both  as  to  doctrine  and'  order.  He  has,  there- 
fore, ventured  to  call  the  work  '  A  Constitutional  History 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States.'  His 
readers  will  not  expect  more  than  this  title  promises. 

"  Recent  events  have  led  to  various  speculations  on  the 
origin  and  constitution  of  our  Church.  It  has  been  said 
that  we  owe  our  ecclesiastical  existence  to  Congregational- 
ists ;  that  the  condition  of  ministerial  communion  among 
us  was  assent  to  the  essential  doctrines  of  the  Gospel ;  and 
that  the  Presbyterian  form  of  government  which  our  fathers 
adopted  was  of  a  very  mitigated  character.  .  .  .  The  writer 
was,  hence,  led  to  inquire  what  foundation  was  laid  for  a 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  character  of  the  early  settlers 
of  our  country.  .  .  The  next  subject  of  investigation  was 
the  actual  character  of  our  Church  before  the  year  1729, 
as  far  as  it  can  be  learned  from  its  history  and  records. 
The  third  chapter  contains  the  review  of  our  history  from 
1729  to  1741.  As  the  act  by  which  the  Westminster  Con- 
fession of  Faith  was  adopted  by  the  Synod  as  their  standard 
of  doctrine,  was  passed  in  1729,  this  seemed  to  be  the  pro- 
per place  to  exhibit  in  full  the  testimony  furnished  by  the 
records,  not  only  as  to  the  true  interpretation  of  the  act,  but 
as  to  the  condition  of  ministerial  communion  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

"  It  is  intended  in  a  second  volume  to  continue  the  his- 
tory from  1741  to  1789.  This  will  require  an  exhibition  of 
the  causes  of  the  great  schism,  an  investigation  of  the  doc- 
trinal and  constitutional  questions  involved  in  that  contro- 


JET.  42.]  HIS  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY.  281 

versy,  and  of  the  principle  on  which  the  Church  was  settled 
at  the  time  of  the  union  of  the  two  Synods." 

It  is  believed  that  in  the  execution  of  this  work  Dr. 
Hodge  fully  proved  that  the  founders  of  our  Church  in  the 
United  States  intended  to  plant  a  true  Presbyterian  Church, 
a  genuine  daughter  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  and  that  the 
terms  of  ministerial  communion  among  us  have  been  from 
the  beginning,  and  by  the  constitution  of  the  Church  con- 
tinue to  be,  the  real  belief  and  honest  profession  that  "the 
system  of  Doctrine  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,"  is  the 
one  contained  in  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith  and 
Catechisms. 

The  following  letters  of  Dr.  A.  Alexander  to  Dr.  Hodge, ' 
and  of  Dr.  Hodge  to  Dr.  Henry  A.  Boardman,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  disputed  points   falling  within  the  period  embraced 
by  this  History  will  explain  themselves. 

DR.    A.    ALEXANDER    TO    DR.    HODGE. 

My  Dear  Sir : — I  do  not  know  whether  you  expect  any  fuller  expo- 
sition of  opinion  from  me  after  making  your  explanations.  The  truth 
is,  it  is  a  matter  in  which  I  have  no  right  to  interfere  otherwise  than 
by  expressing  my  opinion.  I  have  no  responsibility  in  the  matter ; 
but  yours  is  great,  [you  are  writing  a  history  which  will  probably 
connect  your  name  with  the  orthodox  Presbyterian  name  as  long  as  / 
it  lasts ;  and  you  are  not  at  liberty  to  depart  one  iota  from  what  ap- 
pears to  you  to  be  a  correct  statement  of  facts,  and  correct  judgment 
on  them.  If  other  persons  take  a  different  view  of  either  that  is  no 
reason  you  should  change  anything  in  deference  to  thernTT 

I  must,  however,  in  candor  declare  that  my  own  opinion,  as  ex- 
pressed in  a  former  note,  remains  unchanged.  I  object  to  the  rule 
of  the  Synod  on  ground  which  applies  to  them  just  as  it  does  to  our 
Synods,  namely,  that  the  examination  of  candidates,  with  a  view  to 
ordination,  is  properly  a  Presbyterial  and  not  a  Synodical  act.  I  ad- 
mit that  the  Synod,  as  then  constituted,  might,  after  consulting  Pres- 
byteries, determine  what  should  be  required  of  candidates,  and  on 
what  they  should  be  examined,  and  might  have  censured  the  New 
Brunswick  Presbytery  for  disobeying  such  rules  ;  but  it  was,  in  my 
judgment,  improper  for  them  to  take  upon  themselves  to  make  the 
examination.  On  this  principle,  as  the  protestants  argued  on  the  oc- 


282  HIS  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY.  [1840. 

casion,  they  might  usurp  all  the  prerogatives  and  powers  of  the  Pres- 
byteries, and  thus  render  them  useless  bodies.  I  never  received  the 
doctrine  "  that  a  Synod  is  merely  a  larger  Presbytery,"  and  may  do 
whatever  Presbyteries  can.  Their  business  is  to  see  that  Presbyteries 
do  their  duty,  and  to  attend  to  concerns  which  relate  to  the  whole 
body. 

The  year  on  which  I  was  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  this 
principle  was  largely  discussed,  and  in  the  first  instance  decided  in 
favor  of  the  rights  of  Presbyteries ;  but  the  Kentucky  Synod  came 
forward  with  great  zeal  and  power,  and  had  a  different  opinion  pro- 
nounced next  year.  To  this  decision  I  never  gave  my  assent,  and  I 
believe  that  more  than  one  half  of  the  ministers  then  were  of  like 
mind. 

And  I  must  remain  of  the  opinion  that  when  the  schism  took  place, 
any  attempt  at  a  regular  course  of  discipline  would  have  been  per- 
fectly futile  and  unwise.  They  might,  and  ought  to  have  separated 
with  less  heat  and  violence  than  was  manifest,  but  it  is  evident  to  me 
that  a  separation  had  become  necessary. 

The  subject  of  disciplining  an  organized  body  is  an  extremely  diffi- 
cult thing.  The  General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  under 
the  influence  of  the  high-church  principles  of  Dr.  Robertson,  under- 
took to  discipline  a  Presbytery  for  resisting  the  exercise  of  patronage, 
and  when  it  came  to  the  punishment  they  selected  one  man  out  of  the 
Presbytery  and  deposed  him,  not  because  he  was  worse  than  the  rest, 
or  a  prime  leader,  but  for  other  reasons.  This  very  man  laid  the 
foundations  of  the  relief  Presbytery  (now  Synod).  All  that  the  ma- 
jority could  have  done  would  have  been  to  suspend  the  whole  Pres- 
bytery, which  was  the  same  (in  effect  ?)  as  what  took  place. 

Yours,  &c.,  A.  ALEXANDER. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    DR.    HENRY   A.    BOARDMAN. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  ist,  1840. 

My  Dear  Sir:  *  *  *  *  *  As  to  the  History,  all  my  feelings  are  in 
favor  of  your  Board  publishing  it.  It  would  be  effectually  done  with- 
out putting  my  friends,  Dr.  Mitchell  and  others,  to  any  trouble  ;  and 
I  shall  be  gratified  in  doing  something  for  the  Board.  My  judgment, 
however,  is  decidedly  against  the  plan.  As  I  must  bear  the  respon- 
sibility, I  must  feel  perfectly  free  to  write  as  my  judgment  and  con- 
science dictate.  I  know  I  should  feel  trammelled  and  uneasy  if  I  was 
always  thinking  that  what  I  wrote  was  to  come  out  with  the  sanction 
of  the  Board.  I  have  little  doubt  that  the  History  will  give  more  or 
less  offence  to  a  great  many  of  our  friends.  I  mean  that  kind  of  of- 


JET.  42.]  HIS  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY.  283 

fence  which  men  feel  when  they  see  a  different  view  of  any  subject 
than  their  own  presented.  For  example,  the  next  chapter,  which  re- 
lates to  the  Whitefieldian  revival,  I  suppose  will  be  considered  by 
many  as  very  objectionable.  This  will  be  but  a  small  matter  if  I  only 
say  what  is  disliked ;  but  if  your  Board  were  to  say  it,  it  might  be 
very  offensive  to  many  of  our  own  friends.  So  of  the  5th  chapter, 
relating  to  the  Schism,  I  am  sure  that  many  of  our  good  old  people 
will  think  it  dreadful.  I  had  received  the  impression  that  all  the  Old 
side  were  irreligious,  unworthy  men,  and  that  all  the  New  side  were 
excellent  and  fervently  pious.  This  impression,  among  the  older 
ministers  who  received  the  traditionary  accounts  of  that  period,  is  so 
strong  as  to  take  something  of  the  character  of  the  original  party 
feeling.  jDr.  Alexander,  after -reading  the  manuscript,  wrote  me  a 
long  letter,  telling  me  what  he  had  heard  about  the  character  of  the 
two  parties  when  he  was  a  young  man,  and  how  strong  his  feelings 
still  were  upon  the  subject,  and  his  conviction  that  the  Old  side  were 
a  great  deal  worse  and  the  New  side  a  great  deal  better  than  I  had 
represented  them.  This  letter  gave  me,  in  one  view,  a  great  deal  of 
uneasiness.  I  know  that  documents  and  books  retain  and  transmit  a 
very  imperfect  view  of  the  spirit  of  any  age,  and  therefore  felt  that 
my  representation  might  be  very  far  from  the  truth.  But,  at  the  same 
time,  I  must  go  by  those  documents,  and  to  take  the  traditionary 
representations  of  those  who  had  conversed  with  the  actors  in  those 
scenes,  and  who  had  all  the  feelings  of  the  conflict,  would  make  a 
perfectly  one-sided  history. 

I  answered  the  Doctor's  letter,  stating  how  I  viewed  the  matter,  to 
which  he  replied  that  he  would  not  have  me  alter  anything  out  of 
deference  to  anybody — that  he  had  no  responsibility,  but  that  mine 
was  very  great.  I  do  not  mean  to  give  you  the  idea  that  the  Doctor 
thought  the  History  very  wicked,  or  that  he  would  object  to  my  pub- 
lishing it ;  but  I  do  not  believe  at  all  that  he  would  take  the  respon- 
sibility of  publishing  it,  or  of  sanctioning  such  a  representation  as  I 
have  given  of  the  violence  and  disorders  of  the  zealous  men  of  that 
day.  It  would  require  the  gift  of  prophecy  for  me  to  be  able  to  state 
what  will  be  the  character  of  the  last  volume,  should  I  live  to  write 
it.  I  no  more  knew  beforehand  what  the  character  of  the  present 
volume  was  to  be  than  a  stranger  did.  I  indeed  question  very  much 
whether  I  shall  have  courage  to  undertake  the  labor  of  bringing 
down  the  History  to  the  present  time.  It  may  be  too  soon  to  write 
the  history  of  the  last  ten  years. 

All  my  friends  here  whom  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of  consulting 
agree  with  me  that  your  Board  ought  not  to  undertake  the  publica- 
tion. If  any  one  chooses  to  attack  and  abuse  me,  what  harm  is  it  ? 


284  HIS  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY.  [1840. 

But  to  have  your  Board  hauled  up  and  abused  is  a  very  different 
affair.  You  have  a  very  difficult  and  delicate  task  to  perform,  and 
will  get  abuse  enough  I  doubt  not.  I  think  you  ought,  at  least  for  a 
while,  to  confine  yourselves  to  books  of  known  character,  and  by  no 
means  to  publish  too  many. 

Yours  very  truly,  C.  H. 

"  The  Constitutional  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States  of  America"  was  accordingly  pub- 
lished by  Wm.  S.  Martien  in  1839  anc*  1840.  But  it  was 
subsequently  copyrighted  and  published  by  the  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Publication  in  1851. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE   DISRUPTION   OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH    (1834  TO 

I838.) 


THE  HISTORICAL  CONDITIONS  OUT  OF  WHICH  THE  CONFLICT  SPRANG.— THE 
SEVERAL  PARTIES  IN  THE  CHURCH. — THE  TRUE  POSITION  OF  THE 
"  PRINCETON  *'  OR  CONSERVATIVE  '*  PARTY." — DR.  HODGE'S  OWN  STATE- 
MENT OF  THE  PRINCIPLES  ON  WHICH  HE  AND  HIS  ASSOCIATES  ACTED. — 
THE  THOROUGH  AGREEMENT  OF  ALL  THE  PRINCETON  MEN  AS  TO  PRIN- 
CIPLES AND  MEASURES.— MISCONCEPTIONS  CORRECTED.— DR.  HODGE'S 
RELATION  TO  THE  "ACT  AND  TESTIMONY."— HIS  LETTERS  TO  HIS 
BROTHER  AND  TO  DR.  BOARDMAN. 

WE  are  concerned  here  with  the  history  of  this  great 
struggle  only  so  far  as  this  is  necessary  to  the  under- 
standing of  the  part  taken  by  Dr.  Hodge  at  that  time.  He 
was  a  young  man,  with  no  influence  resulting  from  past  ex- 
perience or  achievement  in  church  affairs,  and  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  involved  in  the  struggle  excluded  from 
church  courts  and  confined  to  his  room  and  to  his  couch  by 
physical  pain  and  weakness.  Nevertheless,  he  was  the  most 
active  member  of  the  "  association  of  gentlemen  "  who  edited 
the  Repertory,  and  the  author  of  the  articles  which  attracted 
the  chief  attention  and  were  the  objects  of  the  most  hostile 
criticism  by  the  strong  party  men  on  both  sides. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  in  America  was  founded   by 

285 


286  THE  DISRUPTION. 

Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish  immigrants.  The  Congregational 
Churches  of  New  England  were  founded  by  English  Inde- 
pendents. They  originally  agreed  in  doctrine,  but  were 
radically  different  in  their  .principles  of  organization  and 
polity,  their  traditions  and  their  tendencies.  The  English 
Independents  settled  the  New  England  colonies  during  the 
first  half  of  the  i/th  century,  the  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish 
immigrants  settled  New  Jersey  and  Eastern  Pennsylvania 
and  Delaware  in  the  last  of  the  i/th  and  the  first  of  the 
1 8th  centuries.  Subsequently,  for  the  most  part,  the  Pres- 
byterians moved  westward  and  southward  through  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  Valley  of  Virginia  and  the  Valley  of  the  Ohio, 
while  the  teeming  population  of  New  England  moved  west- 
ward through  the  State  of  New  York,  northern  Ohio  and 
the  Valley  of  the  great  lakes. 

The  two  streams  mingled  in  northern  Ohio  and  western 
New  York,  and  the  exigencies  of  church  extension  in  the 
new  settlements  led  to  the  "  Plan  of  Union"  contracted  be- 
tween the  General  Assembly  and  the  Congregational  Asso- 
ciation of  Connecticut  in  1801.  This  plan  was  designed  to 
promote  harmony  and  to  combine  the  heterogeneous  ele- 
ments of  the  population  in  the  new  settlements  in  aggres- 
sive church  extension.  It  proposed  to  effect  this  end  not  by 
forming  a  new  and  compromising  form  of  church  govern- 
ment, but  by  providing  for  the  practical  working  together 
in  the  same  congregations  of  ministers  and  people  belong- 
ing to  both  denominations.  Congregational  ministers  were 
to  be  pastors  of  Presbyterian  churches,  and  Presbyterian 
ministers  pastors  of  Congregational  churches,  and  Presby- 
terian and  Congregational  communicants  were  to  combine 
in  one  church,  appointing  a  standing  committee  instead  of 
a  session  to  govern  them  and  represent  them  in  the  Presby- 
terian ecclesiastical  courts.  The  effect  of  this  was  at  the 
same  time  to  stop  almost  absolutely  the  multiplication  of 
Congregational  churches,  and  rapidly  to  extend  the  area  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  by  the  multiplication  of  Presby- 


THE  DISRUPTION.  287 

teries  and  Synods,  composed  largely  of  imperfectly  organ- 
ized churches. 

In  the  meantime  the  American  Education  Society,  in 
Boston,  and  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society,  in 
New  York,  sprang  into  the  most  active  exercise  of  their 
functions,  equally  within  the  spheres  of  the  Presbyterian 
and  the  Congregational  churches.  They  were  both  purely 
voluntary  societies,  subject  to  no  ecclesiastical  control,  their 
officers  elected  and  their  action  directed  by  self-perpetuated 
"  Executive  Committees."  Their  funds  were  drawn  from 
the  New  England  churches,  and  their  affairs  were .  con- 
trolled, in  the  larger  part,  by  Congregationalists.  New 
England,  at  this  time,  had  in  great  part  ceased  to  afford  a 
field  for  home  missionary  effort,  but  on  the  contrary  was 
full  of  energetic  young  men  pressing  into  the  ministry  and 
ready  to  be  educated  and  marshalled  and  supported  in  the 
field  by  the  great  voluntary  societies  above  mentioned. 
These  young  men,  of  course,  were  educated  as  Congrega- 
tionalists, and  were  imbued  with  the  religious  and  theo- 
logical sentiments  at  that  time  prevalent  in  New  England. 
These  sentiments  may  be  classified  as  follows:  (i)  The  old 
Calvinism  identical  with  the  original  and  constitutional  or- 
thodoxy of  the  Presbyterian  church.  (2)  That  variation  of 
Calvinism  styled  Hopkinsianism,  which,  while  maintaining 
the  essentials  of  Calvinism,  denied  the  imputation  of  Adam's 
sin,  the  absolute  inability  of  the  sinner  to  repent,  and  a 
definite  atonement.  This  type  of  doctrine,  prevalent  among 
Congregationalists,  while  foreign  to  the  traditions,  and 
uncongenial  to  the  native  Presbyterians,  was  yet  never 
regarded  as  so  far  injurious  as  to  be  a  bar  to  ministerial 
communion.  (3)  The  heresies  associated  at  that  time  with 
the  School  of  New  Haven,  which  were  far  more  radical, 
imperiling,  if  not  destroying,  the  church  doctrines  of 
original  sin,  and  vicarious  atonement,  etc.,  and  which  were 
abhorred  and  resisted  by  the  larger  and  sounder  masses  of 
Congregationalists,  as  well  as  by  Presbyterians. 


288  THE  DISRUPTION. 

Thus  it  is  evident  that  an  immense  and  effective  ma- 
chinery was  in  operation  for  the  rapid  destruction  of  the  in- 
tegrity of  the  Presbyterian  church,  alike  in  its  organic 
form  and  in  the  system  of  doctrines  professed  and  taught. 
New  England  was  the  fountain ;  young  New  England  mis- 
sionaries the  stream  bearing  with  them  Congregational 
church  polity  and  New  England  theology ;  the  American 
Education  and  the  American  Home  Missionary  Societies 
the  powerful  engines;  and  the  Presbyterian  church  the 
depository  into  which  these  foreign  and  revolutionizing 
streams  were  poured. 

These  were,  in  general,  the  unquestionable  historical  con- 
ditions of  that  epoch*.  It  is  evident  that,  without  involving 
any  one's  fault  on  either  side,  sooner  or  later  these  condi- 
tions must  precipitate  a  struggle  for  existence,  and  that  the 
"fittest"  must  survive.  Either  Presbyterianism  in  America 
and  Congregationalism  outside  of  New  England  must  alike 
perish,  issuing  in  some  better  third  form,  or  in  ecclesiastical 
chaos,  or  they  must  separate  and  each  recover  its  constitu- 
tional integrity.  Sooner  or  later  the/ time  must  come  when 
the  true  Presbyterians  must  fight  for  the  existence  of  their 
inherited  system  and  save  it  by  constitutional  means  if  they 
can,  by  revolution  if  they  must.  The  Old  School  party 
among  the  Presbyterians  of  that  day  did  fight  for  all  Pres- 
byterians of  all  time,  New  as  well  as  Old,  and  for  pure  Con- 
gregationalism as  well.  The  event  has  vindicated  them 
beyond  question  as  to  their  general  purpose. 

In  a  very  few  years  after  the  disruption  the  New  School 
Presbyterians  followed  the  same  course.  They,  in  like 
manner,  abrogated  the  "  Plan  of  Union,"  formed  and  ex- 
clusively patronized  their  own  ecclesiastical  boards,  except 
in  the  department  of  foreign  missions,  and  came  into  the 
Re-union  in  1870  as  thoroughly  organized  on  exclusive 
Presbyterian  principles  as  the  other  party,  and  tolerating  in 
their  terms  of  Ministerial  Communion  no  variations  from 
the  old  orthodoxy,  more  extreme  than  that  falling  under 


THE  DISRUPTION.  289 

the  Hopkinsian  or  Edwardean  variety,  above  referred  to, 
which  none  of  the  sober-minded  among  the  Old  School 
had  ever  deliberately  regarded  as  putting  a  man  beyond  the 
pale.  At  the  same  time  the  Congregational  church  emerges 
over  the  whole  north-western  country,  as  homogeneous  as 
in  New  England  itself.  Yet  there  is  absolutely  no  evidence 
that  the  same  result  would  have  been  attained  if  the  denomi- 
national consciousness  of  the  two  rival  parties  had  not  been 
aroused  and  intensified  by  the  conflict  and  division  of 
1837-8. 

On  the  other  hand,  this  same  result,  while  it  vindicates 
the  general  position  and  aim  of  the  Old  School  party  in  the 
disruption  period,  vindicates  specifically  the  peculiar  position 
of  the  Princeton  wing  of  that  party.  The  subsequent 
course  of  the  New  School,  as  a  separate  denomination, 
clearly  proves  that  in  all  essentials  the  majority  of  them 
were  sound  Presbyterians,  alike  in  principles  of  order  and 
in  doctrine,  the  recognition  of  which  fact  in  those  days  dis- 
tinguished the  "Princeton"  or  "  Middle"  party.  There 
were  in  those  days  four  parties  in  the  church:  (i)  Those 
congregations  and  groups  of  congregations  which  were 
imperfectly  organized,  and  those  ministers  and  people 
who  maintained  the  extreme  type  of  error  they  styled 
"  Taylorism."  These  occasioned  all  the  trouble.  Without 
them  all  the  other  parties  could  have  coalesced  together  in 
a  sufficiently  homogeneous  Presbyterian  church.  (2)  The 
New  School  party  as  a  body.  These  were  in  themselves 
sound  Presbyterians,  although  somewhat  tinged  with  the 
Hopkinsian  quality  of  theology.  Their  peculiarity  arose 
from  the  fact  that  from  position,  antecedents  and  associa- 
tions they  were  disposed  to  prevent  the  discipline  of  those 
whose  opinions  departed  further  from  the  type  of  normal 
Presbyterianism  than  their  own,  and  to  oppose  the  abroga- 
tion of  the  "  Plan  of  Union,"  and  the  re-organization,  by  force 
of  ecclesiastical  authority,  of  the  churches  formed  upon  it ; 
and  to  keep  the  church  open  to  the  operation  of  the  Yolua- 
19 


THE  DISRUPTION. 


tary  Societies,  to  the  exclusion  of  those  under  ecclesiastical 
control.  (3)  The  "Princeton  Party"  or  "  Middle  Men." 
(4)  The  Old  School  party  in  Pennsylvania  and  part  of  the 
.South,  who,  under  the  leadership  of  Drs.  Green,  R.  J. 
Breckinridge,  George  Junkin  and  others,  were  convinced 
that  the  crisis  was  imminent,  that  the  evils  were  so  great  as 
to  be  intolerable,  and  who,  therefore,  pressed  urgently  the 
prosecution  of  heresy,  and  demanded  peremptorily  either 
the  speedy  abatement  of  these  evils  or  the  division  of  the 
church. 

te 

The  Princeton  or  Middle  party  was  wholly  Old  School, 
adhering  in  principle  and  affection  to  the  original  normal  type 
of  doctrine  and  church  polity.  Of  this  there  never  was  any 
doubt  on  either  side.  They  desired  to  have  the  "  Plan  of 
Union"  abrogated;  to  have  the  churches  organized  on  that 
basis  re-organized  or  cut  off  by  constitutional  ecclesiastical 
authority;  to  have  all  ministers  holding  and  teaching  the 
graver  errors  then  known  as  "Taylorism"  tried  and  ex- 
cluded from  office  ;  to  have  new  measures  discouraged  ; 
and  denominational  Boards  of  Education,  and  of  Missions, 
Home  and  Foreign,  substituted  in  the  place  of  the  Volun- 
tary Societies,  which  were  really  the  organs  of  the  Congre- 
gational churches.  Hence,  as  Dr.  Hodge  said,  their  "  feel- 
ings were  always,  and  their  judgment  generally,  in  harmony 
with  their  Old  School  brethren  and  their  measures  of  re- 
form." But,  on  the  other  hand,  they  did  not  wish  to  see 
the  church  divided  either  by  the  voluntary  departure  of  the 
extreme  Old  School  wing,  which  for  a  long  time  appeared 
imminent,  or  by  the  forcible  exclusion  of  the  great  body  of  the 
New  School,  which  the  Old  School  leaders  at  least  appeared 
to  desire.  The  Princeton  men  protested  against  some  of 
the  Old  School  measures,  as,  for  instance,  that  :  Hopkinsian 
peculiarities,  which  should  be  tolerated,  were  indiscrimi- 
nately confused  with  Taylorite  errors,  which  must  be 
excluded  ;  that  some  of  the  measures  were  unconstitutional 
and  injurious,  as  the  procedure  by  the  Synod  of  Philadel- 


THE  DISRUPTION'. 


291 


phia  to  try  the  appeal  of  Dr.  Junkin  in  the  trial  of  Mr. 
Barnes  while  the  records  of  the  inferior  court  were  absent ; 
and  the  use  of  the  "Act  and  Testimony"  as  a  test  of  loyalty 
to  Presbyterianism.  They  believed  the  measures' pursued 
by  the  party  men  would  divide  the  church,  whereas  the 
exigency  for  such  a  violent  expedient  had  not  arrived.  The 
New  School  for  several  years  had  held  sway  in  the  General 
Assembly,  interrupted  only  in  1845,  and  regained  in  1846. 
If  they  had  constituted  the  majority  in  the  Assembly  of 
1847  the  worst  apprehension  of  the  Princeton  men  would 
have  been  realized  by  the  secession  of  the  most  determined 
of  the  Old  School  party  without  the  succession  and  without 
the  property,  and  the  Presbyterian  church  would  have  been 
left  predominantly  New  School,  with  a  helpless  Old  School 
minority.  When  the  Old  School  party  found  themselves  in 
power  in  the  General  Assembly  of  1837,  the  "Princeton 
Men,"  as  represented  by  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  voted 
for  the  abrogation  of  the  "  Plan  of  Union,"  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  ecclesiastical  boards,  and  for  the  excision  of  the 
Synod  of  Western  Reserve.  They  regretted  the  peremp- 
tory excision  of  the  three  Synods  in  western  New  York? 
yet  passively  acquiesced  in  the  measure  as  one  of  "  substan- 
tial justice,"  but  would  have  preferred  the  plan  offered  by 
Dr.  Cuyler,  which  summoned  those  Synods  to  purify  them- 
selves, and  suspended  their  right  to  representation  in  the 
General  Assembly  upon  their  obedience.  The  "  Princeton 
Men"  regretted  exceedingly  the  secession  of  the  "New 
School"  division  of  the  church  in  1848,  but  rejoiced  in  the 
assurance  that  neither  they  nor  the  Old  School  majority 
were  responsible  for  that  division,  which  they  (the  Prince- 
ton men)  had  always  feared  and  had  tried  so  loyally  to  pre- 
vent. 

Dr.  Hodge  says  himself  in  his  "  Retrospect  of  the  His- 
tory of  the  Princeton  Review,"  1871,  "In  all  the  controver- 
sies culminating  in  the  division  of  the  church  in  1837-8,  the 
conductors  of  this  Review  were  in  entire  sympathy  with  the 


292 


THE  DISRUPTION. 


Old  School  party.  They  sided  with  them  as  to  the  right? 
and  under  existing  circumstances  the  duty,  of  the  church 
to  conduct  the  work  of  education  and  foreign  and  domestic 
missions  by  ecclesiastical  boards  instead  of  voluntary  in-1 
dependent  societies.  They  agreed  with  that  party  on  all 
doctrinal  questions  in  dispute ;  and  as  to  the  obligation 
to  enforce  conformity  to  our  Confession  of  Faith  on  the  part 
of  ministers  and  teachers  of  theology  under  our  jurisdiction. 
They  were  so  unfortunate,  however,  as  to  differ  from  many, 
and  apparently  from  a  majority  of  their  Old  School 
brethren,  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  measures  adopted  for 
securing  a  common  object.  In  our  number  for  January, 
1837,  it  is  said  :  '  Our  position  we  feel  to  be  difficult  and 
delicate.  On  the  one  hand,  we  respect  and  love  the  great 
mass  of  our  Old  School  brethren  ;  we  believe  them  to  con- 
stitute the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  Presbyterian  church  ;  we 
agree  with  them  in  doctrine ;  we  sympathize  with  them  in 
their  disapprobation  and  distrust  of  the  spirit  and  conduct 
of  the  leaders  of  the  opposite  party;  and  we  harmonize 
with  them  in  all  the  great  leading  principles  of  ecclesiastical 
policy,  though  we  differ  from  a  portion  of  them,  how  large 
or  how  small  that  portion  may  be  we  cannot  tell,  as  to  the 
wisdom  and  propriety  of  some  particular  measures.  They 
^have  the  right  to  cherish  and  express  their  opinions,  and  to 
endeavor  to  enforce  them  on  others  by  argument  and  persua- 
sion, and  so  have  we.  They,  we  verily  believe,  have  no  selfish 
end  in  view.  We  are  knowingly  operating,  under  stress  of 
conscience,  against  all  our  own  interests,  so  far  as  they  are 
not  involved  in  the  interests  of  the  Church  of  God.' 

"The  FIRST  point  of  difference  related  to  the  Act  and 
Testimony,  and  the  measures  therewith  connected. 

"Such  departures  from  the  standards  of  the  church 
in  matters  of  doctrine  and  order ;  such  diversity  of  opinion 
as  to  ecclesiastical  boards  and  voluntary  societies;  such 
alienation  of  feeling  and  agitating  controversy  had  for 
years  so  disturbed  the  peace  and  impaired  the  efficiency 


THE  DISRUPTION. 


293 


of  the  church  as  to  produce  a  state  of  things  which  on  all 
sides  was  thought  to  be  intolerable.  With  the  view  to  re- 
form these  evils,  and  secure  the  peace  and  purity  of  the 
church,  a  meeting  of  ministers  and  elders  was  held  in  Phil- 
adelphia, May  26,  1834.  At  that  meeting  it  was  deter- 
mined to  issue  an  Act  and  Testimony,  setting  forth  the 
evils  under  which  the  church  was  laboring,  and  proposing 
means  of  redress.  This  document  was  originally  signed 
by  thirty-seven  ministers  and  twenty-seven  elders.  It  was 
sent  forth  among  the  churches,  and  all  the  friends  of  sound 
doctrine  and  of  Presbyterian  order  were  exhorted  to  sign  it 
'  We  recommend/  say  the  original  signers,  '  all  ministers, 
elders,  Church-sessions,  Presbyteries  and  Synods,  who 
approve  of  this  Act  and  Testimony,  to  give  their  public 
adherence  thereto,  in  such  manner  as  they  shall  prefer,  and 
communicate  their  names,  and  when  a  church  court,  a  copy 
of  their  adhering  act.'  It  was  further  recommended  *  that 
on  the  second  Thursday  of  May,  1835,  a  Convention  be 
held  in  the  city  of  Pittsburgh  (where  the  General  As- 
sembly was  to  meet),  to  be  composed  of  two  delegates,  a 
minister  and  ruling  elder  from  each  Presbytery,  or  from 
the  minority  of  any  Presbytery,  who  may  concur  in  the 
sentiments  of  the  Act  and  Testimony,  to  deliberate  and 
consult  on  the  present  state  of  the  church,  and  to  adopt 
such  measures  as  may  be  best  suited  to  restore  her  pros- 
trated standards.' 

"  Many  Old  School  men,  as  zealous  as  any  others, 
could  not  sign  this  document.  They  did  not  object  to  it  as 
a  testimony  against  false  doctrine;  nor  as  a  means  for 
arousing  the  attention  of  the  church;  nor  as  designed 
to  concentrate  the  energies  of  its  sounder  members  for 
the  reform  of  existing  evils;  but,  i.  Because  it  contained 
assertions  as  to  matter  of  fact,  and  expressions  of  opinion 
(not,  however,  as  to  matters  of  doctrine)  in  which  they 
could  not  conscientiously  concur.  2.  Because  it  operated 
as  a  new,  unauthorized  and  invidious  test  of  orthodoxy  and 


294  THE  DISRUPTION. 

fidelity.  Those  who  did  not  sign  it  were  looked  upon 
as  timid  and  recreant.  The  editor  of  the  Presbyterian 
(Aug.  21,  1834)  said,  'We  verily  believe  that  every  ortho- 
dox minister  and  elder,  who  refuses  his  signature  under 
existing  circumstances,  will  throw  his  weight  into  the 
opposite  scale,  and  strengthen  the  hopes  and  confirm  the 
confidence  of  those  who  aim  to  revolutionize  the  church.' 
3.  Because  its  obvious  tendency,  and  as  the  event  proved, 
its  actual  effect,  was  to  divide,  instead  of  uniting,  the 
friends  of  orthodoxy  and  order.  The  document  was  never 
signed  by  a  moiety  of  the  Old  School  body.  4.  Because 
the  issuing  a  document  of  this  kind,  calling  for  the  signa- 
tures of  all  sound  men,  who,  by  their  delegates,  were 
to  meet  in  convention  and  prepare  for  further  action,  was  an 
extra-constitutional  and  revolutionary  measure,  which  many 
good  and  true  men  could  not  approve.  They  believed  that 
when  evils  exist  in  any  organized  community,  civil  or 
ecclesiastical,  redress  should  be  sought  in  the  regular  exer- 
cise of  the  constitution  and  laws,  unless  the  evils  be  such  as 
justify  revolution.  5.  From  the  natural  tendency  of  the 
measures  adopted,  and  from  the  open  avowal  of  some  of 
the  leaders  in  this  movement,  it  was  believed  that  if  the 
party  represented  by  the  Act  and  Testimony  did  not  gain 
ascendancy  in  the  church,  the  result  would  be  secession 
and  schism.  There  were,  however,  many  who  believed  that 
secession,  under  the  circumstances,  would  be  a  violation 
of  principles  and  a  breach  of  trust.  They,  therefore,  stood 
aloof  and  abstained  from  taking  part  in  measures  of  which, 
as  it  seemed  to  them,  schism  was  the  natural  consequence,  if 
not  the  intention.  They  held  that  so  long  as  the  standards 
of  the  church  were  unaltered,  and  its  ministers  were  not 
called  upon  to  profess  what  they  did  not  believe,  or  pre- 
vented preaching  what  they  believed  to  be  true,  or  required 
to  do  what  their  conscience  condemned,  to  withdraw  from 
the  church  was  the  crime  of  schism,  which  the  Scriptures  so 
expressly  forbid.  Moreover,  they  regarded  the  funds,  the 


THE  DISRUPTION: 


295 


institutions  and  the  influence  of  the  church  as  a  trust  com- 
mitted to  their  care,  which  they  were  not  authorized  to 
throw  up  or  to  leave  in  the  hands  of  those  whom  they 
regarded  as  likely  to  abuse  or  pervert  it.  To  abandon  the 
church  whenever  an  adverse  majority  gained  ascendancy 
for  a  time  in  its  administration,  would  lead  to  never-ending 
divisions  and  incalculable  evils.  Many  of  the  signers  of  the 
Act  and  Testimony  disclaimed  any  intention  to  secede  from 
the  church ;  but  others,  among  whom  was  the  venerable 
Dr.  Green,  openly  declared  that  such  was  their  purpose- 
Happily,  the  matter  was  not  brought  to  that  issue.  The 
reform  of"  the  church  was  effected  without  that  sacrifice. 
Candid  men,  we  think,  will  admit  that  the  above-men- 
tioned reasons  are  sufficient  *to  justify  the  course  of  those 
who  dissented  from  the  Act  and  Testimony  movement. 
Their  conduct,  at  least,  can  be  accounted  for  on  other 
grounds  than  those  of  faint-heartedness  or  unfaithfulness. 

"  The  SECOND  point  on  which  the  Old  School  men  were 
divided,  was  the  proper  grounds  of  ecclesiastical  discipline. 
Our  ministers  and  elders  are  required  to  adopt  the  Confes- 
sion of  Faith,  as  containing  the  system  of  doctrine  taught 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  No  doctrine,  therefore,  inconsistent 
with  the  integrity  of  that  system  is  the  proper  ground 
of  discipline.  It  is  not  enough  that  the  doctrine  be 
erroneous,  or  that  it  be  dangerous  in  its  tendency ;  if  it  be 
not  subversive  of  one  or  more  of  the  constituent  elements 
of  the  reformed  faith,  it  is  not  incompatible  with  the  honest 
adoption  of  our  Confession.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  ever 
since  the  Reformation  more  or  less  diversity  in  the  state- 
ment and  .explanation  of  the  doctrines  of  Calvinism  has 
prevailed  in  the  reformed  churches.  It  is  equally  notorious 
that  for  fifty  or  sixty  years  such  diversities  have  existed  and 
been  tolerated  in  our  own  church ;  nay,  that  they  still  exist 
and  are  avowed  by  Old  School  men.  If  a  man  holds  that 
all  mankind,  since  the  fall  of  Adam,  and  in  consequence  of 
his  sin,  are  born  in  a  state  of  condemnation  and  sin,  whether 


296  THE  DISR  UP  TION. 

he  accounts  for  that  fact  on  the  ground  of  immediate 
or  mediate  imputation,  or  on  the  realistic  theory,  he  was 
regarded  as  within  the  integrity  of  the  system.  If  he 
admitted  the  sinner's  inability,  it  was  not  considered  as 
a  proper  ground  of  discipline  that  he  regarded  that  inability 
as  moral,  instead  of  natural  as  well  as  moral.  If  he  taught 
that  the  work  of  Christ  was  a  real  satisfaction  to  the  justice 
of  God,  it  was  not  made  a  breaking  point  whether  he  said 
it  was  designed  exclusively  for  the  elect,  or  for  all  mankind, 
etc.,  etc. 

"  We  do  not  say  that  the  diversities  above  referred  to  are 
unimportant.  We  regard  many  of  them  as  of  great  import- 
ance. All  we  say  is  that  they  have  existed  and  been  toler- 
ated in  the  purest  Calvinistic  churches  our  own  among  the 
rest. 

"  But  within  the  last  forty  years  other  doctrines  came  to 
be  avowed.  Men  came  to  teach  that  mankind  are  not  born 
in  a  state  of  sin  and  condemnation ;  that  no  man  is  charge- 
able with  either  guilt  or  sin  until  he  deliberately  violates  the 
known  law  of  God ;  that  sinners  have  plenary  ability  to  do 
all  God  requires  of  them ;  that  regeneration  is  the  sinner's 
own  act ;  that  God  cannot  certainly  control  the  acts  of  free 
agents  so  as  to  prevent  all  sin,  or  the  present  amount  of  sin 
in  a  moral  system ;  that  the  work  of  Christ  is  no  proper 
satisfaction  to  divine  justice,  but  simply  symbolic  or 
didactic,  designed  to  produce  a  moral  impression  on  in- 
telligent agents  ;  that  justification  is  not  judicial,  but  in- 
volves a  setting  aside  of  the  law,  as  when  the  Executive 
remits  the  penalty  incurred  by  a  criminal.  The  doctrines 
of  this  latter  class  were  regarded  as  entirely  inconsistent 
with  the  'system  of  doctrine'  taught  in  our  Confession 
of  Faith.  In  the  General  Assembly  (O.  S.)  of  1868  a 
protest  was  presented  against  the  adoption  of  the  plan 
of  union  then  before  the  churches,  urging  as  an  argument 
against  the  union  the  alleged  fact  that  such  doctrines  were 
tolerated  in  the  other  branch  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


THE  DISRUPTION.  297 

The  majority  of  the  Assembly,  in  their  answer  to  that  pro- 
test, denied  that  allegation.  They  pronounced  it  to  be 
incredible,  on  the  ground  that  such  doctrines  were  so  obvi- 
ously subversive  of  our  whole  system,  that  no  church 
professing  to  be  Calvinistic  could  tolerate  them  within  their 
borders. 

"When  in  1830,  and  the  years  immediately  following, 
church  discipline  was  invoked  to  arrest  the  progress  of 
error,  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  included  among  the 
doctrines  to  be  condemned  those  belonging  to  the  first  as 
well  as  those  belonging  to  the  second  of  the  classes  above 
mentioned.  This  was  objected  to  by  a  large  class  of  Old 
School  men,  and  by  the  conductors  of  this  Review,  among 
their  number.  I.  Because,  if  the  errors  in  question  do  not 
affect  the  integrity  of  the  system,  they  were  not  the  proper 
grounds  of  discipline.  One  of  these  doctrines  was  '  that 
faith  is  an  act  and  not  a  principle.'  But  surely  a  man  may 
hold  this  opinion  and  yet  be  a  Calvinist.  The  immediate 
imputation  of  Adam's  sin  we  regard  as  a  very  important 
doctrine ;  not  so  much  on  its  own  account  as  on  account  of 
the  principle  of  representative  accountability  on  which  it  is 
founded,  which  principle  runs  through  the  Bible,  and  is  in- 
volved in  the  vital  doctrines  of  atonement  and  justification. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  notorious  that  the  doctrine  of  immediate 
imputation  has  not  been  considered  by  our  church  as  essen- 
tial to  the  integrity  of  the  Calvinistic  system. 

"  2.  It  was  considered  unreasonable  and  unfair  to  con- 
demn one  man  for  errors  which  had  been,  and  continued  to 
be  tolerated  in  others. 

"  3.  This  course  was  deemed  unwise  because  it  could  not 
fail  to  embarrass  the  administration  of  discipline  and  to 
divide  the  friends  of  truth  and  order  in  the  church.  It  was 
impossible  that  they  could  be  brought  with  unanimity  to 
concur  in  sustaining  charges  so  heterogeneous,  embracing 
doctrinal  statements  with  which  only  a  small  minority 
of  the  church  could  agree.  We  are  constrained  to  say, 


298  THE  DISRUPTION. 

with  great  respect  for  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  that 
the  censures  which  that  body  pronounced  in  1830  on  the 
sermon  entitled  '  The  Way  of  Salvation/  contained  doc- 
trinal principles  which  we  do  not  know  a  single  minister  in 
the  Presbyterian  church  who  is  willing  to  adopt.  It  makes 
the  penal  character  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ  to  depend  on 
their  nature  and  intensity,  and  not  on  the  design  for  which 
they  were  inflicted.  We  think  that  any  candid  man  will  ad- 
mit that  those  who  disapproved  of  such  a  judicial  judgment 
did  not  deserve,  on  that  account,  to  be  deemed  lacking  in 
fidelity  or  zeal  for  the  truth. 

'"  We  do  not  wish  to  intimate  that  the  books  on  which 
the  Presbytery,  and  afterwards  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia, 
founded  their  judicial  action  did  not  contain  errors  which 
called  for  the  exercise  of  discipline.  We  believe  they  did 
contain  propositions  which,  according  to  the  unanimous 
judgment  of  the  Assembly' of  1868,  any  minister  should  be 
required  to  retract  as  the  condition  of  his  remaining  in  con- 
nection with  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  complaint  is 
that  matters  were  included  in  the  charges  which  even  the 
friends  of  sound  doctrine  could  not  regard  as  proper 
grounds  of  discipline. 

"  The  THIRD  point  about  which  Old  Schoolmen  differed 
was  the  wisdom  of  some  of  the  acts  of  the  Assembly 
of  1837.  When  that  Assembly  met,  it  was  found  that  the 
Old  School  had  a  decided  and  determined  majority.  The 
opportunity  had  occurred  to  rectify  some  of  the  abuses 
which  had  so  long  and  so  justly  been  matters  of  com- 
plaint. It  was  not  to  be  expected  or  desired  that  the 
opportunity  should  be  lost.  The  abuse  which  was  more 
immediately  under  the  .control  of  the  Assembly  was  the 
admission  of  Congregationalists  as  constituent  members 
of  our  church  courts.  This  was  as  obviously  unreasonable 
and  unconstitutional  as  the  admission  of  British  subjects  to 
sit  as  members  of  our  State  or  National  Legislature.  To 
put  an  end  to  this  abuse,  the  Assembly  adopted  the  follow- 


THE  DISRUPTION.  299 

ing  report  of  their  committee :  '  In  regard  to  the  relation 
between  the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational  churches,  the 
committee  recommend  the  adoption  of  the  following  resolu- 
tions : 

"'  I.  That  between  these  two  branches  of  the  American 
church  there  ought,  in  the  judgment  of  this  Assembly,  to  be 
maintained  sentiments  of  mutual  respect  and  esteem,  and 
for  that  purpose  no  reasonable  effort  should  be  omitted  to 
preserve  a  perfectly  good  understanding  between  these  two 
branches  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

" '  2.  That  it  is  expedient  to  continue  the  plan  of  friendly 
intercourse  between  this  church  and  the  Congregational 
churches  as  it  now  exists. 

"'3.  But  as  the  'Plan  of  Union'  adopted  for  the  new 
settlements  in  1801  was  originally  an  unconstitutional  act 
on  the  part  of  that  Assembly, — these  important  standing 
rules  having  never  been  submitted  to  the  Presbyteries — and 
as  they  are  totally  destitute  of  authority,  as  proceeding  from 
the  General  Association  of  Connecticut,  which  is  invested 
with  no  power  to  legislate  in  such  cases,  and  especially  to 
enact  laws  to  regulate  churches  not  within  its  limits ;  and  as 
much  confusion  and  irregularity  has  arisen  from  this  unna- 
tural and  unconstitutional  system  of  union,  therefore,  it 
is  resolved  that  the  Act  of  the  Assembly  of  1801,  en- 
titled a  '  Plan  of  Union '  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  abro- 
gated/ 

"These  resolutions  were  carried  by  a  vote  of  143  yeas  to 
no  nays.  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  and  all  the  other 
delegates  from  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  voted  for 
their  adoption.  . 

"  The  question  then  arose,  How  was  the  above  resolution 
to  be  carried  into  effect  ?  In  other  words,  How  was  the 
Congregational  element  to  be  eliminated  from  our  body  ? 
Three  methods  were  proposed.  First:  To  cite  the  judica- 
tories,  charged  with  this  and  other  irregularities,  to  appear 
at  the  bar  of  the  next  Assembly.  This  was  actually  adopted, 


3OO  THE  DISRUPTION.  [1837. 

but  afterwards  abandoned  as  likely  to  be  cumbersome  and 
interminable. 

"  The  second  method  was  that  proposed  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Cuyler,  the  substance  of  which  was  a  direction  to  the  judi- 
catories  embracing  Congregational  churches  to  require 
them  to  become  Presbyterially  organized,  or  to  withdraw 
from  our  connection;  and  refusing  to  such  judicatories  the 
privilege  of  being  represented  in  the  General  Assembly 
until  this  elimination  of  Congregationalism  had  been  effected. 

"The  consideration  of  these  resolutions  was  postponed 
to  await  the  report  of  a  committee,  consisting  of  five  mem- 
bers, from  either  side  of  the  house,  to  consider  the  question 
of  the  amicable  separation  of  the  church.  That  committee 
reported  that  they  unanimously  agreed,  1st,  That  in  the 
present  state  of  the  church  such  a  separation  was  desirable. 
2d,  They  agreed  as  to  the  terms  on  which  it  should  be  ef- 
fected ;  but  3d,  They  disagreed  as  to  the  time  when  it 
should  be  accomplished,  and  as  to  the  legal  succession. 
The  committee  representing  the  majority  insisted  that  the 
separation  should  be  accomplished  at  once,  during  the  ses- 
sions of  that  Assembly ;  the  committee  on  the  part  of  the 
minority  insisted  that  it  should  be  deferred  for  a  year,  by  a 
reference  of  the  matter  to  the  Presbyteries. 

"  On  the  failure  of  this  attempt,  the  Assembly,  instead  of 
taking  up  the  resolutions  of  Dr.  Cuyler,  proceeded  to  effect 
the  separation  from  Congregationalism  by  its  own  authority. 
This  was  done  by  what  are  called  the  'Abscinding  Acts.'  It 
was  resolved,  first,  '  That  by  the  operation  of  the  abrogation 
of  the  Plan  of  Union  of  1801  the  Synod  of  the  Western  Re- 
serve is,  and  hereby  is  declared  to  be,  no  longer  a  part  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  in  the  United  States  of  America.' 

"And  subsequently  it  was  resolved  '  That  in  consequence 
of  the  abrogation  by  this  Assembly  of  the  Plan  of  Union 
of  1 80 1  between  it  and  the  General  Association  of  Connect- 
icut, as  utterly  unconstitutional,  and  therefore  null  and  void 
from  the  beginning,  the  Synods  of  Utica,  Geneva  and  Gen- 


1837.]  THE  DISRUPTION.  301 

esee,  which  were  formed  and  attached  to  this  body  under 
and  in  execution  of  the  said  Plan  of  Union  be,  and  are 
hereby  declared  to  be,  out  of  the  ecclesiastical  connection 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
and  that  they  are  not  in  form  or  in  fact  an  integral  portion 
of  said  church.' 

"  It  was  stated  on  the  floor  of  the  Assembly  that  less 
than  one  in  four  of  the  churches  in  the  Synod  of  the  West- 
ern Reserve  was  Presbyterian.  We  do  not  see  how  any 
one  can  censure  the  Assembly  for  refusing  to  recognize  that 
Synod  as  a  Presbyterian  body  when  three-fourths  of  the 
churches  of  which  it  was  composed  were  Congregational. 
Dr.  Alexander,  who  had  voted  for  the  abrogation  of  the 
Plan  of  Union,  felt  free,  therefore,  to  vote  for  the  disowning 
of  the  Synod  of  the  Western  Reserve  as  a  constituent  part 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  For  the  resolution  disowning 
the  three  Synods  in  Western  New  York  he  could  not  vote. 

"  The  grounds  on  which  the  majority  of  the  conductors 
of  this  Review  dissented  from  the  Act  of  the  Assembly  dis- 
owning the  three  Synods  of  Utica,  Geneva  and  Genesee 
were:  1st,  That  it  was  not  a  legitimate  consequence  of  the 
abrogation  of  the  Plan  of  Union  that  those  Synods,  with 
all  their  Presbyteries  and  churches,  were  out  of  connection 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States,  and 
neither  in  form  nor  in  fact  an  integral  part  of  that  church. 
Even  if  originally  formed  on  the  Plan  of  Union,  if  they  had 
become,  and  so  far  as  they  had  become,  Presbyterian  in 
their  organization,  and  had  been  duly  recognized,  they  were 
entitled  to  be  regarded  and  treated  as  Presbyterian  churches 
and  judicatories.  This  is  all  the  constitution  required.  This 
the  Assembly  itself  admitted,  as  it  promised  to  recognize 
any  of  the  constituent  churches  or  judicatories  of  those 
Synods,  as  soon  as  they  reported  themselves  as  constitu- 
tionally organized.  But  if  Presbyterial  organization  entitled 
them  to  recognition  it  was  a  valid  reason  why  they  should 
not  be  disowned. 


3O2  THE  DISRUPTION.  [1837. 

"  2.  The  presence  of  a  few  Congregationalists  in  a  church 
court  did  not  destroy  its  character  nor  afford  a  reasonable 
ground  for  refusing  to  recognize  it  as  in  connection  with 
the  church.  Committee  men  (i.  e.  Congregationalists)  have 
been  allowed  to  sit  as  members  of  the  General  Assembly; 
and  so  were  the  delegates  from  the  several  Associations  in 
New  England.  If  their  presence  rendered  the  Assemblies 
in  which  they  sat  unconstitutional  bodies,  then  all  the  acts 
of  those  bodies  were  null  and  void,  and  we  have  lost  our 
legal  succession. 

"  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  excision  of  the  Synods 
in  question  was  not  an  act  of  discipline ;  it  was  not  founded 
on  the  prevalence  of  error  in  doctrine,  or  of  "  new  mea- 
sures." This  the  Assembly  expressly  disclaims.  In  answer 
to  the  protest  of  the  commissioners  from  those  Synods  it  is 
said,  '  There  is  no  judicial  process  instituted.'  '  Without 
impeaching  the  character  or  standing  of  the  brethren  com- 
posing those  Synods,  this  Assembly,  by  a  legislative  act, 
merely  declares  them,  in  consequence  of  the  abrogation  of 
the  Plan  of  Union  of  1801,  no  longer  a  constituent  part  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the 
United  States.' 

"  The  objection  to  this  action  is,  that  the  presence  of  a 
small  minority  of  Congregationalists  in  a  church  court 
did  not  so  vitiate  its  character  as  to  justify  its  being 
disowned. 

"  3.  There  were  Presbyteries  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Synods  of  Albany  and  New  Jersey  composed  in  part 
of  Congregational  churches,  and  yet  the  General  Assembly 
did  not  disown  either  those  Synods  or  the  delinquent  Pres- 
byteries. This  was  an  admission  that  the  presence  of  Con- 
gregational members  did  not  destroy  the  character  of  those 
bodies  as  Presbyterian  organizations. 

"  4.  The  action  of  the  Assembly  in  disowning  the  Synods 
of  Western  New  York  was  not  necessary  to  secure  the 
reform  of  the  church.  That  end  would  have  been  attained 


1837.]  THE  DISRUPTION.  303 

by  the  due  operation  of  the  abrogation  of  the  Plan  of  Union. 
The  legitimate  effects  of  that  abrogation  were :  1st,  To  pre- 
vent the  reception  of  any  new  churches  formed  upon  that 
plan.  2d,  To  render  it  obligatory  on  all  the  Presbyteries  to 
require  the  churches  within  their  bounds  to  adopt  an  organ- 
ization in  accordance  with  our  constitution,  and  to  refuse  to 
allow  the  representatives  of  Congregational  churches  to  sit 
and  act  as  elders.  3d,  To  justify,  and  it  may  be  to  render 
it  obligatory  on  future  General  Assemblies  to  refuse  to 
allow  Presbyteries  continuing  their  connection  with  Con- 
gregationalism to  be  represented  in  those  bodies.  This 
would  have  effectually  accomplished  the  reform  contem- 
plated by  the  abrogation  of  the  Plan  of  Union  of  1801. 
After  having  allowed  for  more  than  thirty  years  this  union 
of  Congregationalists  and  Presbyterians  in  our  church 
courts,  all  that  the  Assembly  had  the  right  to  do  was  to 
require  that  such  union  should  forthwith  and  thenceforth 
cease.  This  was  the  ground  taken  by  Dr.  Alexander  and 
the  majority  of  the  conductors  of  this  Review  in  1837,  an^ 
on  which  the  few  of  their  number  who  still  survive  (in 
1870)  still  stand.-  What,  however,  was  regarded  as  very 
lukewarm  Old-Schoolism  in  1837  has  now  come  to  be 
looked  upon  as  obsolete  and  narrow-minded.  The  Assem- 
bly of  1869,  by  a  vote  nearly  unanimous,  not  only  admitted 
(the  abrogation  of  the  Plan  of  Union  notwithstanding)  that 
Presbyteries  do  not  forfeit  their  connection  with  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  although  they  include  Congregational 
churches,  but  authorized,  as  far  as  it  could  do  so,  their 
being  represented  in  the  General  Assembly  for  at  least  five 
years  to  come." 

It  was  suspected  and  has  been  since  charged  that  the 
gentlemen  at  Princeton  were  not  perfectly  at  one  with  re- 
gard to  the  various  questions  which  emerged  during  the 
contest,  and  that  Dr.  Hodge  was  responsible  for  separating 
them  from  the  more  extreme  Old  School  leaders.  It  is, 
however,  certain  that  they  were  cordially  agreed  on  all 


304  THE  "PRINCETON  MEN"  HARMONIOUS.        [1837. 

points  as  far  as  any  men  of  independent  minds  could  be  on 
so  wide  a  range  of  subjects.  If  there  was  any  difference  it 
was  that  Dr.  Hodge  was  more  urgently  impelled  to  speak 
out  his  whole  mind,  while  others  at  times  counselled  reti- 
cence for  prudential  reasons.  That  they  were  at  one  is  cer- 
tain : — from  the  public  action  of  Dr.  Miller  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  1836,  where  he  voted  to  sustain  the  appeal  of 
Mr.  Barnes,  and  then  to  condemn  the  errors  contained  in 
his  book ;  and  the  public  action  of  Dr.  Alexander  in  the 
Assembly  of  1837,  where  he  voted  to  abrogate  the  Plan  of 
Union  and  to  exscind  the  Synod  of  Western  Reserve,  but 
voted  against  the  exscision  of  the  three  Synods  of  Western 
New  York ;  from  the  uniform  assertions  of  Dr.  Hodge  to 
the  end  of  his  life,  confirmed  by  the  assertions  of  Dr.  James 
W.  Alexander,  one  of  the  actors  in  the  scenes,  in  his 
Memoirs  of  his  Father,  p.  480,  and  by  the  assertion  of  Rev. 
Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  Jr.,  in  his  Memoirs  of  his  Father,  p. 
271;  from  the  fact  that  the  article  entitled  "  The  Present 
State  and  Prospects  of  the  Presbyterian  Church"  (Bib.  Rep. 
Jan.,  1835,)  is  claimed  alike  by  the  representatives  of  Dr.  A. 
Alexander  and  Dr.  Miller,  and  was  certainly  written  by  one 
of  them.  This  article  is,  at  least,  as  decidedly  and  offen- 
sively opposed  to  the  extreme  action  of  the  Old  School 
leaders  as  anything  written  by  Dr.  Hodge. 

The  only  point  as  to  which  it  is  known  that  the  conduct- 
ors of  the  Repertory  differed  among  themselves  was  with 
reference  to  the  action  of  the  Assembly  of  1837  in  ex- 
scinding the  three  Synods  of  Western  New  York.  They 
habitually  met  in  Dr.  Hodge's  study  to  discuss  every 
article  of  importance.  With  regard  to  this  difference  of 
opinion,  Dr.  Hodge  has  left  a  clear  statement,  drawn  up  at 
the  time. 

Note  in  Dr.  His  Journal. — "July  19, 1837. — The  conductors 
of  the  Repertory  met  a  second  time  to  decide  on  the  article  on 
the  Assembly.  Drs.  Miller  and  Breckinridge  approved  of 
the  action  of  the  Assembly  respecting  the  three  (New  York) 


1837.]         THE  "PRINCETON   MEN"  HARMONIOUS.          305 

Synods  in  toto*  Prof.  McLean  and  Dr.  A.  Alexander 
thought  it  might  be  justified,  although  not  on  the  grounds 
upon  which  the  Assembly  placed  it,  and  would  have  pre* 
ferred  Dr.  Cuyler's  plan  (this  plan  was  stated  above).  Pro- 
fessors James  W.  Alexander,  Dodd  and  Hodge  disapproved 
the  Assembly's  action,  and  would  have  preferred  Dr.  Cuy- 
ler's plan,  and  they  wished  this  idea  to  be  expressed  in  the 
Repertory.  It  was  decided  to  leave  out  that  portion  of  the 
article  (written  by  Dr.  Hodge)  containing  this  expression, 
leaving  it,  as  it  was  supposed,  undecided  how  the  conduct- 
ors viewed  the  matter.  To  this  course  all  ultimately 
assented,  except  Dr.  Hodge.  He  objected  on  the  ground 
that  the  impression  it  would  make,  as  it  now  stands,  would 
be  that  the  conductors  decidedly  sustained  the  measure  in 
question.  Dr.  Alexander,  Prof.  Dod,  and  ultimately  Prof. 
J.  W.  Alexander  thought  that  such  an  inference  could  not 
be  fairly  drawn  from  the  language  employed.  The  disap- 
proval of  the  action  of  the  Assembly  in  relation  to  the 
third  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  was  sustained  by  all  the 
conductors,  except  Dr.  Breckinridge.  Profs.  J.  W.  Alexan- 
der, Dod  and  Hodge  were  afterwards  strongly  in  favor  of 
inserting  a  note  of  explanation." 

With  reference  to  these  questions  Dr.  Hodge  wrote  the 
following  letters  to  his  brother : 

DR.    HODGE    TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

Nov.  21,  1834. 

My  Dear  Brother : — As  to  church  matters,  I  know  not  what  to 
think,  .and  you  would  find  yourself  in  chaos  were  you  to  attempt  an 
analysis.  The  Act  and  Testimony  is  doing  what  was  from  the  first 
apprehended — splitting  the  Old  School  portion  of  the  church.  How 
far  this  will  go  it  is  hard  to  say.  The  Philadelphia  men,  Dr.  Green, 
&c.,  &c.,  are  driving  matters  to  an  extremity,  and  if  they  succeed  we 
shall  be  ruined  for  the  next  ten  or  twenty  years.  That  is  if  by  their 
ultraism  a  portion  of  the  Old  School  party  is  broken  off,  it  will  leave 
the  remainder  completely  in  the  power  of  the  New  School  men  and 
give  them  the  command  of  our  Seminaries,  Boards  and  Education 
20 


306  ATTITUDE  OF  THE  "  PRINCETON  MEN."  [1837. 

and  Missions,  &c.,  &c.  I  still  hope  this  consummation  will  be 
avoided.  It  was  to  guard  against  it,  and  to  warn  the  Old  School 
party  of  the  evil  and  danger  of  thus  splitting  the  church  that  the 
article  on  the  Act  and  Testimony  in  the  Repertory  was  written.  It 
has  had  the  effect  of  making  whole  classes  of  signers  declare  that 
they  do  not  wish  nor  look  for  a  schism  in  the  church.  But  on  the 
other  hand,  the  obvious  tendency  of  the  measure  and  the  avowed 
design  of  some  of  its  authors  are  to  that  result.  That  article  has 
given  prodigious  offence  to  the  Philadelphia  men.  The  Synod  passed 
a  vete  which  amounts  to  a  formal  declaration  of  want  of  confidence 
in  the  Seminary.  They  propose  transferring  their  patronage  to 
Pittsburgh,  or  to  found  a  new  institution.  I  do  not  believe  this  will 
hurt  anybody  but  themselves.  No  person  here  regrets  as  yet  the 
publication  of  our  article.  We  all  think  it  will  do  good  on  the  whole. 
As  far  as  I  know,  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  is  the  only  one  in  the 
whole  church  which  is  what  we  call  ultra.  It  is  the  only  one, 
I  am  persuaded,  which  would  have  entertained  for  a  moment  the 
proposition  about  a  new  seminary  on  the  grounds  then  urged,  and 
therefore  I  feel  a  strong  hope  that  they  will  find  themselves  in  so 
small  a  minority  as  to  be  induced  to  keep  quiet. 

Your  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  June  u,  1837. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  have  at  once  to  prepare  a  history  of  the 
doings  of  this  momentous  Assembly,  in  which  the  New  School  have 
experienced  a  Waterloo  defeat.  Their  only  resource  is  now  to  the 
law,  which  I  suspect  will  give  them  small  consolation.  I  think  sub- 
stantial justice  has  been  done,  though  there  may,  in  some  cases, 
have  been  some  informality  in  the  mode  of  doing  it.  I  have  little 
doubt  the  public  sentiment  of  the  church  and  of  other  denominations 
will  sustain  the  proceedings  of  the  Assembly  as  soon  as  they  are 
fairly  understood.  The  simple  truth  is,  that  the  church  has  tolerated 
the  Congregationalized  portion  of  the  body  until  its  very  existence 
was  in  danger,  and  it  has  aroused  and  shaken  them  off.  I  presume 
that  the  New  School  will  form  themselves  into  an  American  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  we  shall  have  two  denominations.  I  am  very 
sorry  the  Assembly  dissolved  the  third  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia, 
and  that  in  an  unconstitutional  manner.  It  looks  badly,  and  was 
done  by  a  very  small  vote. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 


1837.]          ATTITUDE  OF  THE  "  PRINCETON  MEN."  307 

DR.    HODGE    TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  July  26,  1837. 

My  Dear  Brother : — Dod  seems  to  have  produced  a  great  commo- 
tion among  the  gentlemen  of  the  Old  School  party  in  Philadelphia. 
They  sent  a  message  up  to  entreat  and  expostulate,  besides  a  multi- 
tude of  letters  filled  with  lamentations  and  prophecies  of  coming 
evil.  These  letters  were,  some  of  them,  from  very  moderate  men, 
such  as  Mr.  &c.,  &c.  I  presume  Dod  stated  clearly  enough  how 
the  matter  stood  to  the  few  persons  he  spoke  to,  but  the  accounts 
were  doubtless  greatly  magnified  as  they  diffused  themselves  abroad. 
I  do  not  believe  that  what  I  wished  to  do  would  have  done  any  harm 
or  have  given  any  offence.  The  fact  is  that  we  are  all  agreed  as  to 
all  the  principles  involved  in  the  questions  before  the  Assembly,  and 
agreed  also  as  to  their  application,  except  as  to  one  case  (the  case  of 
the  three  Synods  of  Western  New  York).  With  regard  to  this  some 
were  satisfied,  and  some  were  not  (i.  e.  by  the  action  of  the  Assem- 
bly). The  Repertory,  speaking  the  language  of  all  the  conductors, 
could  not  say  anything  which  a  portion  of  us  could  not  assent  to. 
My  difficulty  was  that  I  believed  the  article,  as  altered  by  the  major- 
ity of  the  conductors,  did,  at  least  impliedly,  express  approbation  of 
the  act  of  the  Assembly  in  reference  to  the  three  Synods.  I  had  no 
right  to  say  that  it  should  not  do  so,  but  I  certainly  had  a  right  to  say 
that  the  majority  should  not  make  me  say  so.  I  therefore  insisted  on 
stating  in  a  note  that  some  of  the  conductors,  meaning  Dod,  J.  W. 
Alexander  and  myself,  felt  that  we  had  not  as  yet  a  sufficient  know- 
ledge of  the  facts  in  the  case  to  enable  us  to  see  the  propriety  of  this 
measure.  This  was  resisted  with  great  earnestness  by  some  one  or 
two  as  likely  to  do  great  harm.  It  was,  however,  a  point  which  I 
could  not  yield,  and  which  those  who  agreed  with  me  were  also  un- 
willing to  give  up,  The  note  was  finally  thrown  into  a  form  by  J.  W. 
Alexander,  to  which  Breckinridge  assented,  and  to  which  I  agreed, 
though  with  a  good  deal  of  reluctance.  It  is  less  explicit  than  I 
wished  it,  and  yet  may  be  understood  to  mean  more  than  even  I 
wanted  to  express,  and  it  now  speaks  the  language  of  the  whole  and 
not  of  a  part.  After  saying  in  the  text  that  the  summary  plan  of  ex- 
clusion was  undoubtedly  constitutional  in  its  application  to  all  those 
Synods  which  could  be  clearly  proved  to  be  irregularly  organized, 
we  add  in  a  note,  that  as  the  facts  in  regard  to  the  three  Synods  in 
New  York  are  in  a  constant  process  of  disclosure,  the  full  discussion 
of  this  question  is  deferred  to  a  future  occasion. 

I  had  two  reasons  for  assenting  to  this.  The  first  was  that  all  I 
wished  was  to  satisfy  my  conscience,  and  not  to  be  made  to  say 


308  ATTITUDE  OF  THE  "  PRINCETON  MEN."  [1837. 

what  I  did  not  believe.  This  note  answers  this  purpose  by  saying 
that  though  satisfied  as  to  the  principles,  we  must  wait  for  more  facts 
before  we  can  say  anything  as  to  their  application.  My  second 
reason  was,  that  I  really  believe,  or  rather  expect  that  facts  will  soon 
be  brought  forward  which  will  show  the  substantial  justice  of  the 
action  of  the  Assembly.  How  far  this  evidence  was  before  the  As- 
sembly I  do  not  know,  and  therefore  cannot  say,  how  far  they  acted 
in  the  dark.  But  if  substantial  justice  has  been  done,  that  is  the 
main  point. 

I  never  had  such  a  time  in  my  life.  On  the  one  hand  my  own 
views  of  duty  and  propriety  and  even  expediency  were  clear  and  un- 
wavering. On  the  other  hand  the  opinion  of  almost  all  my 
friends,  and  the  vehement  expostulations,  appeals,  and  forebodings 
of  a  good  many  of  them.  Dr.  Alexander  did  just  what  he  ought  to 
have  done.  He  said  he  could  not  see  the  grounds  of  my  scruples, 
and  thought  the  thing  inexpedient,  but  gave  his  cheerful  assent  to 
my  saying  in  the  note  just  what  I  pleased.  You  may  depend  upon 
it  it  is  very  hard  for  a  man  to  act  upon  his  own  opinion,  when  op- 
posed not  only  to  the  opinion  of  those  he  has  been  accustomed  to 
reverence,  but  to  the  ardent  expostulations  and  dreadful  forebodings 
of  others.  I  believed,  to  be  sure,  it  was  all  nonsense  ;  that  no  such 
terrible  consequences  would  follow.  However,  I  feel  thankful  the 
thing  is  arranged  without  producing  a  breach,  and  that  I  have  still 
a  good  conscience.  Dod  and  Maclean  both  think  that  the  note,  as 
it  now  stands,  is  a  great  deal  worse  for  the  Old  School  than  what  I 
wanted  to  say.  You  will  wonder  when  you  see  it,  how  little  a  matter 
has  kindled  such  a  flame.  The  Repertory  will  not  be  made  a  party 
concern  I  am  persuaded.  Its  conductors  would  rather  see  it  die. 
Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

It  was  inevitable,  under  all  the  conditions  of  the  case, 
that  the  excited  leaders  of  the  Old  School  majority  in  these 
conflicts  should  have  been  annoyed  by  the  independent  po- 
sition of  the  "  Princeton  gentlemen  "  and  those  who  agreed 
with  them.  This  annoyance  naturally  led  to  hard  thoughts 
and  derogatory  language.  No  Qne  at  any  time  doubted 
their  doctrinal  soundness,  but  the  entire  class  of  men, 
wherever  resident,  was  called  the  "  Princeton  Party "  in 
order  to  belittle  it.  They  were  characterized  as  "  moderates," 
"trembling  brethren,"  "compromisers."  They  were  sus- 
pected of  want  of  courage,  if  not  of  a  supreme  regard  to 


1837.]          ATTITUDE  OF  THE  " PRINCETON  MEN."  309 

their  supposed  temporal  interests.  Some  New  School  men 
held  them  as  weakly  succumbing  to  the  will  of  the  Old 
School  majority  when,  after  protesting  against  the  earlier 
steps  in  the  controversy,  they  afterwards  consented  to  the 
abrogation  of  the  Plan  of  Union  and  the  excision  of  the 
Synods.  Some  of  the  Old  School  charitably  excused  them 
on  the  ground  that  as  secluded  professors  they  were  neces- 
sarily less  perfectly  informed  as  to  the  actual  condition 
of  affairs  than  active  pastors.* 

However  natural  these  derogatory  representations  were 
at  the  time,  they  were  absurdly  untrue.  The  accuracy  and 
wide  extent  of  their  knowledge  of  the  state  of  the  church, 
and  the  wisdom  of  their  judgment  has  been  vindicated 
abundantly  by  the  events  which,  after  thirty  years,  led  to 
re-union.  That  they  were  right  in  voting  to  abrogate  the 
Plan  of  Union  a.nd  establish  denominational  Boards  has 
been  established  by  the  action  of  the  New  School  Assem- 
bly itself  while  a  separate  denomination.  That  they  were 
right  in  resisting  the  confusing  of  the  lesser  with  the  graver 
doctrinal  errors,  and  in  believing  that  the  latter  were  not 
prevalent  among  the  majority  of  those  acting  in  the  New 
School  party,  has  been  demonstrated  in  re-union  and  its 
consequences.  That  they  were  eminently  brave  and  disin- 
terested is  abundantly  proved  by  the  very  fact  complained 
of,  that  instead  of  sheltering  themselves  in  the  mass  of 
either  conflicting  army,  they  chose  to  expose  themselves  to 
the  conspicuous  and  unsupported  position  of  independent 


*The  Presbytery  of  Newton, "of  the  Synod  of  New  Jersey,  appointed  a  com- 
mittee February,  1835,  "to  confer,  by  letter  or  otherwise,  with  the  Professors 
of  the  Theo.  Sem.  in  Princeton  "  with  regard  to  their  stand  against  the  Act  and 
Testimony.  And  in  the  autumn  of  1836  "  a  company  of  gentlemen  were  desig- 
nated by  a  large  and  respectable  number  of  the  Old  School  to  proceed  in  a 
noiseless  and  unobserved  manner  to  wait  on  the  Professors  at  the4r  homes,  to 
reason  and  remonstrate  with  them,  if  possible,  to  concur  with  their  brethren  in 
the  public  actions  of  the  church."  These  gentlemen  met  in  the  study  of  Dr. 
Hodge.  Their  appeals  were  respectfully  heard,  but  little  effect  was  ever  attri- 
buted to  them. 


310          ATTITUDE  OF  THE  «  PRINCETON  MEN." .         [1837. 

soldiers,  following  reason  and  conscience  without  regard  to 
the  pleasure  or  displeasure  of  men.  That  they  were  not 
inconsistent  with  their  past  convictions  or  pledges  when 
they  finally  consented  to  the  abrogation  of  the  Plan  of 
Union  and  the  exscision  of  the  Synod  of  Western  Reserve 
has  been  shown  plainly  above. 

Dr.  E.  H.  Gillett,  in  his  account  of  these  events,  (vol. 
ii.,  p.  496)  sneeringly  says:  "The  Princeton  Review  of 
July  of  that  year  (1836)  still  pleaded  for  union.  .  .  Only  a 
few  weeks  after  the  Review  had  denounced  division,  New 
Brunswick  Presbytery  (to  which  all  the  Professors  be- 
longed) unanimously  declared  themselves  unable  to  see  any 
prospect  of  good  in  the  continued  union  of  the  discordant 
parts  of  the  church." 

This  inuendo  is  borrowed  from  "A  Plea  for  Voluntary 
Societies,  and  a  Defense  of  the  Decisions  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  1836  against  the  Strictures  of  the  Princeton 
Reviewers,  New  York,  1837,"  in  which  the  conductors  of 
the  Repertory  are  charged  with  insincerity  because  their 
Presbytery  so  ,soon  made  a  deliverance  inconsistent  with 
the  spirit  and  professed  aim  of  their  article,  and  made  it  by 
a  vote  reported  to  be  unanimous.  This  might  have  been  a 
natural  suspicion  in  the  excitements  of  1837,  but  it  is  an 
inexcusable  insinuation  as  coming  from  Dr.  E.  H.  Gillett, 
the  professed  historian  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  1864. 
The  explanation  was  in  his  hand  in  an  article  in  the  Re- 
pertory for  January,  1837,  reviewing  "The  Plea  for  Volun- 
tary Societies,"  aforesaid  :  "  Of  the  eight  ministers  resident 
in  Princeton  only  one  of  them  was  present  at  that  meeting 
of  their  Presbytery,  or  knew  anything  of  the  resolutions 
until  after  they  were  passed.  .  .  But  we  have  still  further  to 
remark,  that  the  only  one  of  their  number  ('Association  of 
Gentlemen  in  Princeton')  who  was  present  when  these  reso- 
lutions were  adopted  exerted  all  his  influence  to  have  them 
reduced  to  the  standard  which  he  and  his  friends  had  al- 
ready adopted." 


1834.]  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  "ACT AND  TESTIMONY."  31  I 

Out  of  the  attitude  assumed  by  the  conductors  of  the 
Repertory  towards  the  Act  and  Testimony  there  sprang 
a  personal  misunderstanding.  In  the  month  of  May,  1834, 
in  the  height  of  his  physical  affliction,  Dr.  Hodge  stayed 
for  a  few  days  with  his  friend,  Professor  Dod,  at  the  house 
of  his  brother,  in  Philadelphia.  While  there  Dr.  R.  J. 
Breckinridge,  the  author  of  the  Act  and  Testimony,  with 
whom  he  was  on  terms  of  intimate  friendship,  called  to  see 
him,  and  consulted  him  on  the  subject  of  the  character 
of  the  document  he  was  preparing.  From  this  it  came  to  be 
currently  rumored  that  Dr.  Hodge  was  one  of  the  authors 
of  the  Act  and  Testimony,  and  hence  much  painful  surprise 
was  felt  by  many  when  his  articles  appeared  in  the  Re- 
pertory in  October,  1834,  and  January,  1835,  vigorously 
criticising  that  document,  and  opposing  the  use  to  which  it 
was  applied  by  its  friends.  In  his  4<  Plain  Statement"  in  the 
Presbyterian,  April  16,  1835,  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckinridge  affirms 
"  That  Dr.  Hodge  dictated,  with  the  aid  of  the  manuscript 
put  into  his  hands  by  me,  and  drawn  in  part  from  Dr.  Miller's 
letters,  then  recently  published,  the  very  words  and  letters 
now  found  under  the  head  of '  Errors  '  in  the  Act  and  Tes- 
timony. .  .  And  so  far  from  his  making  any  general  objec- 
tions, such  as  he  has  since  reiterated,  I  left  him,  confidently 
hoping  that  he  would  favor,  if  not  actually  sign,  the  Act  and 
Testimony."  It  was  a  question  of  "impression"  and 
"  hopes,"  which  must  always  depend  largely  upon  subjec- 
tive conditions  of  opinion  and  feeling  and  temperament. 
Under  all  the  circumstances,  it  is  not  wonderful  that 
Dr.  Breckinridge  should  have  misunderstood  Dr.  Hodge. 
But  that  he  did  entirely  misunderstand  him,  and  hence  that 
this  "  Plain  Statement"  misrepresents  him,  is  absolutely  cer- 
tain. Dr.  Hodge,  in  his  address  to  the  "  Christian  Public," 
in  the  Presbyterian,  April  30,  1835,  says  :  "  The  facts  of  the 
case,  to  the  best  of  my  recollection  and  belief,  are  briefly 
these  :  During  my  short  stay  in  Philadelphia,  in  May  last,  I 
received  a  note  from  a  friend  that  he  would  call  upon  me  in 


312  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  "  ACT  AND  TESTIMONY"  [1834. 

company  with  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckinridge  on  important  business, 
but  without  any  more  special  reference  to  the  object  of  his 
visit.  At  the  hour  appointed  they  came.  The  first  annun- 
ciation of  their  special  object  was  in  nearly  these  words: 
'  Brother  Hodge,  we  want  you  to  draw  up  a  statement 
of  the  doctrinal  errors  prevailing  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church.'  I  answered  that  this  was  work  for  a  month ;  that 
I  was  incompetent  to  the  task,  it  being  out  of  my  line,  and 
that  I  was  to  leave  town  the  next  morning  for  the  sea-shore. 
I  was,  of  course,  at  this  time  entirely  ignorant  of  the  pur- 
pose for  which  the  statement  was  wanted.  In  order  to 
make  known  this  purpose,  and  that  I  might  understand 
precisely  what  was  desired  of  me,  Mr.  Breckinridge  stated 
that  there  had  been  a  meeting  on  the  preceding  evening  of 
the  minority  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  of  some  other 
gentlemen,  at  which  he  was  appointed  the  chairman  of  a 
committee  to  draft  an  address  to  the  churches.  This  ad- 
dress he  then  read,  and  said  he  wished  to  introduce  into  it 
a  statement  of  the  prevailing  errors,  and  that  it  was  in  pre- 
paration of  this  statement  he  desired  my  assistance.  This 
led  to  a  conversation  especially  as  to  the  class  of  errors 
which  it  would  be  proper  to  notice.  In  this  conversation 
Professor  Maclean,  Mr.  Breckinridge,  his  friend  and  myself, 
all  took  part.  It  was  agreed  that  the  statement  ought  to 
be  confined  to  errors  of  the  more  important  kind.  After 
this  Mr.  Breckinridge  took  his  pen  and  with  the  aid  of  his 
notes  previously  made,  wrote  down  the  several  specifica- 
tions in  the  form  which,  after  mutual  consultation,  was 
thought  to  be  the  best.  In  this  point  there  was  generally 
a  coincidence  of  views :  as  to  one  of  the  articles,  however, 
that  respecting  imputation,  Mr.  Breckinridge  differed  from 
his  friends,  and  wrote  it  down  as  it  now  stands,  in  opposi- 
tion to  their  judgment.  This  was  the  whole  of  my  agency 
in  the  business.  It  was  not  only  unsolicited  on  my  part, 
but  was  entirely  unexpected ;  it  was  performed  as  an  office 
of  friendship,  and  it  was  neither  different  nor  greater  than  I 


I834-]  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  «  ACT  AND  TESTIMONY."  313 

both  could  and  would,  under  similar  circumstances,  per- 
form at  the  present  moment,  and  with  my  present  views 
and  feelings  respecting  the  Act  and  Testimony. 

"  To  the  best  of  my  recollection,  there  was  but  one  other 
prominent  topic  of  remark,  and  that  was  the  article  respect- 
ing Elective  Affinity  bodies.  To  this  I  strongly  objected 
on  the  grounds  afterwards  urged  in  the  Biblical  Repertory" 

Professor,  now  ex-President  Maclean,  wrote  to  the  Pres- 
byterian y  April  17,  1835.  "In  the  Presbyterian  of  last  week 
allusion  is  made  by  the  Rev.  R.  J.  Breckinridge  that  I  was 
present  at  the  interview  which  took  place  between  him  and 
Rev.  Professor  Hodge,  on  the  subject  of  the  Act  and 
Testimony.  I  feel  constrained  to  let  the  readers  of  the 
Presbyterian  know  that  my  impression  with  regard  to  the 
views  then  entertained  and  expressed  by  Professor  Hodge, 
differs  entirely  from  Dr.  Breckinridge's.  Both  Professor 
Hodge  and  myself  expressed  our  apprehension  that  the 
measures  suggested  were  to  say  the  least  of  doubtful  ten- 
dency, and  that  they  might  be  productive  of  serious  diffi- 
culties. ...  I  recollect  that  after  Mr.  Breckinridge  had 
expressed  his  determination  to  have  the  document  under 
discussion  sent  forth,  by  the  minority  of  the  last  Assembly 
and  their  friends,  as  an  official  paper  declarative  of  their 
views  and  course  of  action,  Professor  Hodge  observed  that 
if  it  were  a  settled  point  that  the  Act  and  Testimony  was  to 
be  issued,  it  was  important  that  the  statement  should  be 
limited  to  serious  and  important  errors,  and  that  particular 
care  should  be  used  in  specifying  these  errors,  so  that  the 
same  errors  should  not  be  presented  in  different  forms,  and 
that  those  clearly  related  should  be  classed  with  each  other. 

"  Mr.  Breckinridge  then  avowed  that  his  object  in  read- 
ing the  paper  to  Professor  Hodge  was  to  get  his  aid  in 
doing  this  very  thing.  Prof.  Hodge  consented  to  aid  him, 
not,  as  I  understood  the  matter,  that  he  would,  upon  these 
alterations  being  made,  be  willing  to  give  his  countenance 
to  the  measures  proposed,  but  merely  because  he  wished 


3 1 4  THE  NE  W  SCHO  OL  SE CESSION.  [1838. 

the  Act  and  Testimony  to  be  as  free  as  possible  from  objec- 
tion, and  because  he  felt  a  disposition  to  aid  a  friend,  as  far 
as  he  could  do  it  conscientiously.  Yours, 

JOHN  MACLEAN." 

Also  on  the  same  day  Professor  Albert  B.  Dod  wrote  to 
the  Presbyterian. 

"  During  the  time  that  Dr.  Hodge  was  in  Philadelphia 
last  spring,  I  lodged  at  the  same  house  with  him.  In  the 
evening  of  the  same  day  on  which  the  Rev.  R.  J.  Breckin- 
ridge  called  upon  Dr.  Hodge  to  consult  him  in  relation  to 
the  Act  and  Testimony,  I  had  much  conversation  with 
him  on  the  subject  of  this  interview,  and  of  the  character 
and  probable  effects  of  the  instrument.  The  opinions  and 
views  which  he  then  expressed  were  substantially  the  same 
with  those  that  have  since  been  published  in  the  Biblical 
Repertory.  I  cannot  be  mistaken  in  my  recollection  of  the 
nature  of  his  remarks,  as  they  had  a  decided  influence  in 
forming  my  own  views  of  the  Act  and  Testimony,  and  in 
leading  me  .to  decline,  before  leaving  Philadelphia,  to  affix 
my  signature  to  it." 

In  consequence  of  the  "  Exscinding  Acts  "  passed  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  1837,  the  stated  clerk,  in  making  up 
the  roll  of  the  members  of  the  Assembly  of  1838,  omitted 
the  names  of  all  the  delegates  from  the  Presbyteries  com- 
prised in  the  exscinded  synods.  Motions  to  recognize  them 
were  declared  by  the  Moderator,  Rev.  Dr.  David  Elliott,  to 
be  out  of  order  until  after  the  Assembly  was  duly  con- 
stituted by  the  making  out  of  the  roll.  Mr.  John  P.  Cleve- 
land, of  the  Presbytery  of  Detroit,  then  read  a  paper,  of  the 
nature  of  a  protest  and  declaration  of  the  necessity  of  revo- 
lutionary methods.  In  spite  of  being  called  to  order  by 
the  constitutionally  presiding  officer,  he  nominated  Dr. 
Beman  to  the  chair.  Dr.  Beman  took  his  station  in  the 
aisle  of  the  church,  and  put  the  motion  whereby  Drs.  E. 
Mason,  and  E.  W.  Gilbert  were  proposed  for  clerks,  and 


1838.]       THE  DECISION  OF  THE  SUPREME  COURT.        315 

Dr.  S.  Fisher  for  Moderator.  These  gentlemen,  with  their 
sympathizers,  then  withdrew  to  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  where  they  formed  the  New  School  Assembly. 

The  trustees  of  the  General  Assembly  had  been  incor- 
porated under  a  charter  from  the  Legislature  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, approved  March  28,  1/99.  The  funds  entrusted  to 
their  care  had  been  raised  in  by  far  the  largest  part  by  the 
adherents  of  the  Old  School  party,  and  fully  four-fifths 
belonged  to  Princeton  Theological  Seminary.  The  New 
School  Assembly,  on  the  assumption  that  they  carried  the 
legal  succession,  necessarily  chose  new  trustees  in  the  place 
of  those  of  the  existing  body  adhering  to  the  other  party. 
Just  as  necessarily  the  existing  members  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  holding  that  the  other  Assembly  carried  the  true 
succession,  refused  to  recognize  the  new  appointments  of 
the  new  Assembly.  Hence  the  New  School  applicants 
brought  suit  for  the  establishment  of  their  rights  as  trustees, 
and  hence  for  the  legal  settlement  of  the  question  of  suc- 
cession from  the  historical  line  of  General  Assemblies, 
before  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  trial  was  brought  in  the  first  instance  before  Judge 
Rogers  at  Nisi  Prius  and  a  special  jury,  March  4,  1839. 
Under  the  ruling  of  the  judge  the  jury  brought  in  a  verdict 
in  favor  of  the  New  School  trustees  and  Assembly.  The 
Old  School  trustees  appealed  to  the  Supreme  Court  in 
Bane  for  a  new  trial,  when  the  case  was  heard  and  decided 
by  all  the  supreme  judges  together.  On  May  8th,  1839, 
Chief  Justice  Gibson,  read  a  judgment  in  which  all  the 
judges  except  Judge  Rogers  concurred,  which  reversed  the 
finding  of  the  lower  court.  They  affirm  that  "  the  apparent 
injustice  of  the  (exscinding)  measures  arises  from  the  con- 
templation of  it  as  a  judicial  sentence  pronounced  against 
parties  who  were  never  cited  nor  heard ;  which  it  evidently 
was  not.  Even  as  a  legislative  act,  it  may  have  been  a 
hard  one,  though  certainly  constitutional  and  strictly  just" 
"  We  hold  that  the  Assembly  which  met  in  the  First  Pres- 


31  6  CORRESPONDENCE  ON  THE  SUBJECT.  [1839. 

byterian  Church  was  not  the  legitimate  successor  of  the 
Assembly  of  1837;  and  that  the  defendants  (Old  School 
trustees,)  are  not  guilty  of  the  usurpation  with  which  they 
are  charged." 

This  bare  statement  of  facts  is  sufficient  to  explain  the 
following  letters  : 

DR.    HODGE    TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  N.  J.,  March  27,  1839. 

My  Dear  Brother : — As  you  may  well  suppose,  the' decision  of  the 
protracted  law-suit  against  us  has  taken  us  altogether  by  surprise. 
No  one  here  considered  such  a  result  as  more  than  possible.  We 
thought  it  probable  the  jury  would  not  agree,  and  should  not  have 
been  astonished  at  an  unfavorable  verdict.  But  that  the  Judge  should 
be  against  us,  and  that  with  bitterness,  never  appeared  as  even  pos- 
sible. All  our  friends,  legal  and  clerical,  had  perfect  confidence  in 
our  ultimate  success  up  to  the  moment  when  the  Judge  pronounced 
his  opinion.  Our  opinion  of  the  justice  of  our  cause,  of  course,  re- 
mains unchanged.  Whatever  errors  may  have  been  committed  in 

1837,  the  assumption  that  the  New  School  Assembly,  organized  in 

1838,  was  regularly  organized  appears  perfectly  preposterous,  and 
therefore  the  Judge's  decision  is  a  mystery.     I  have  long  taken  pains 
to  find  out  what  disinterested  and  intelligent  persons  thought  on  this 
subject,  and  I  have  never  seen  or  heard  of  one  who  expressed  a  doubt 
upon  it. 

I  regard  the  decision  as  a  very  great  calamity,  and  as  a  very  severe 
judgment  of  God,  and  bow  to  it  accordingly.  I  firmly  believe  the 
New  School  party,  as  a  party,  to  be  the  promoters  of  error  and  dis- 
order ;  that  the  interests  of  religion  are  deeply  involved  and  greatly 
endangered  by  the  weight  of  power  and  influence  which  this  decision 
will  give  them.  God  will  doubtless  bring  good  out  of  evil,  as  he  will 
make  the  success  of  the  Unitarians  in  New  England,  and  the  Hicks- 
ites  in  the  Middle  States,  ultimately  a  blessing.  His  bringing  good 
out  of  evil  is  his  great  prerogative,  but  the  evil  still  remains  evil. 

I  have  very  great  fears  as  to  the  result  to  the  Old  School  party.  If 
they  had  cohesion  enough  to  hang  together,  and  act  together  with 
vigor,  they  might  soon  recover  from  this  blow.  But  there  are  so 
many  geographical  and  sectional  causes  of  disunion  that  I  am  very 
much  afraid  that  if  once  deprived  of  the  bond  of  a  common  and  ven- 
erated name,  and  of  common  property,  we  shall  be  split  into  insignifi- 
cant fragments.  We  are,  in  the  eye  of  the  law,  a  secession  from  our 


1839.]  CORRESPONDENCE  ON  THE  SUBJECT.  317 

own  church ;  the  New  England  men  have  succeeded  in  getting  that 
church  to  themselves. 

A  re-union  appears  out  of  the  question ;  and  I  can  hardly  conceive 
of  any  arrangement  by  which  the  Seminary  can  be  preserved  should 
the  decision  of  Judge  Rogers  be  confirmed  by  the  Judges  in  bane.  I 
trust  our  leaders  in  Philadelphia  will  be  preserved  from  rashness  and 
imprudence  and  all  evil  speaking.  A  dark  cloud  is  hanging  over  us, 
and  our  ways  seem  to  be  hedged  up.  It  is  very  painful  to  think  of 
Princeton  Seminary  going  to  ruin ;  for  it  must  go  to  ruin  in  the  hands 
of  New  School  men.  They  have  a  Seminary  in  New  York,  and  can- 
not possibly  supply  both  with  students.  Still,  the  Lord  reigns,  and 
He  will  do  all  things  well. 

Your  brother,  C.  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    DR.    HENRY   A.    BOARDMAN. 

PRINCETON,  Feb.  28,  1839. 

My  Dear  Sir: —  *  *  *  *  *  *  The  important  crisis  in  our  church's 
history  is  just  at  hand.  Its  importance  constantly  rises  in  my  view. 
The  funds  and  institutions,  though  matters  not  to  be  slighted,  are  but 
a  portion  of  the  great  interests  at  stake,  and  to  have  these  interests 
committed  to  twelve  men,  taken  up  at  random,  is  a  very  serious  mat- 
ter. It  seems  to  be  one  of  God's  purposes  in  this  dispensation  to 
make  us  feel  that  we  are  completely  in  His  hands.  The  decision  of 
a  jury  in  such  matters  is  very  little  different  from  the  casting  of  the 
lot ;  and  I  should  feel  nearly  as  I  feel  now  if  the  great  question  at 
issue  were  to  be  decided  on  Monday  by  the  throwing  of  dice.  I  hope 
this  will  make  us  all  feel  disposed  to  wait  upon  God,  and  earnestly 
to  plead  with  Him  to  plead  our  cause  and  sustain  the  right.  And 
should  the  cause  be  decided  in  our  favor  I  trust  there  will  not  be  one 
word  of  exultation  uttered  from  any  quarter. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    DR.    HENRY    A.    BOARDMAN. 

PRINCETON,  March  28,  1839. 

My  Dear  Sir :  *  *  *  *  I  hope  soon  to  get  through  with  my  revi- 
sion of  the  Commentary  on  the  Romans  to  prepare  it  for  translation 
into  French,  and  will  then  go  at  my  History.  Perhaps  it  is  now  more 
important  than  ever  that  the  work  should  be  done,  if,  as  I  hope  may 
be  the  case,  it  will  tend  to  increase  the  respect  and  affection  of  Pres- 
byterians for  the  church  of  their  fathers.  We  shall  need  now  every 
bond  to  keep  us  together ;  we  must  increase  in  mutual  love  and  zeal 
for  the  truth,  and  for  the  order  of  our  church,  and  for  its  real  useful- 
ness. The  danger  is  that  if  we  lose  our  old  name  and  standing  and 


31 8  CORRESPONDENCE  ON  THE  SUBJECT.  [1839. 

common  property  we  shall  break  into  little  fragments  and  cease  to 
have  much  power  to  do  good. 

I  hope  God  may  guide  by  his  wisdom  the  brethren  who  are  now  to 
decide  on  our  course.  The  interests  at  stake  are  far  too  momentous 
to  be  abandoned  while  there  is  any  prospect  of  saving  them.  Tay- 
lorism  never  received  such  a  mighty  impulse  as  when  Judge  Rogers 
pronounced  the  New  School  Assembly  the  true  General  Assembly  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  if  that  judgment  is  confirmed  I  shall 
think  God  has  sore  judgments  in  store  for  our  land.  This  unexpected 
blow,  after  all  our  confident  hopes,  I  trust  will  make  us  humble  and 
lead  us  to  submit  to  God  without  murmuring  at  Him  or  complaining 
of  one  another  or  of  the  opposite  party. 

If  the  Old  School  could  hang  together  now  and  do  their  duty  we 
should,  with  God's  blessing,  soon  recover  from  this  severe  stroke. 

Let  me  hear  soon  what  has  been  determined  upon  ;  and  if  the 
cause  goes  to  the  Judges  in  bane,  when  it  is  likely  to  be  heard. 

Yours  affectionately,  C.  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    DR.    HENRY   A.    BOARDMAN. 

PRINCETON,  April  13,  1839. 

My  Dear  Sir  : — I  want  to  say  a  few  things  to  you  about  the  present 
position  and  prospects  of  our  church,  in  which,  I  presume,  you  and  I 
will  not  differ  much. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  present  is  one  of  the  most  trying 
periods  in  our  whole  history.  It  will  try  not  only  the  principles  but 
the  graces  of  the  church.  And  our  future  prospects  depend,  under 
God,  very  much  upon  the  manner  in  which  we  shall  now  act.  The 
great  object  is  to  produce  unanimity ;  to  prevent  any  such  diversity 
in  counsels  or  measures  as  shall  cause  a  division  in  our  own  ranks. 
You  do  not  appear  to  fear  this  as  much  as  I  do.  I  have  heard,  how- 
ever, so  many  and  such  discordant  expressions  of  confident  opinions 
and  purposes  that  I  shall  regard  it  as  a  special  indication  of  God's 
power  if  the  Old  School  party  are  led  to  act  harmoniously  and  to  keep 
their  ranks  unbroken.  This  can  be  effected  in  no  other  way  than  by 
humility  and  mutual  concessions.  No  one  man,  and  no  few  men, 
ought  to  attempt  to  decide  what  course  the  church  should  pursue  in 
this  emergency.  We  should  remember  that  we  are  brethren,  and 
that  no  one  has  a  right  to  dictate  to  others,  but  that  subjection  to  our 
brethren  in  the  Lord  is  part  of  our  ordination  vows.  As  this  is  the 
case,  I  think  we  ought  to  keep  ourselves  uncommitted  and  unpledged 
until  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly.  It  is  impossible  to  know  till  then 
what  the  church  generally  will  think  right,  and  the  way  ought  to  be  left 


1839-]  CORRESPONDENCE  ON  THE  SUBJECT.  3  I  9 

open  for  it  to  take  that  course  which  the  great  body  of  the  brethren  shall 
deem  to  be  right.  It  is  on  this  account  that  I  regret  to  see  our  papers, 
the  Presbyterian  and  Watchman,  pronounce  so  confidently  what  the 
party  will  or  will  not  do  ;  and  the  latter  even  denouncing  beforehand 
any  who  should  advocate  union  with  the  opposite  party  even  for  an 
hour.  I  doubt  not  there  will  be  found  a  large  portion  of  sound  Old 
School  men  who,  on  the  supposition  of  an  ultimate  decision  against 
us,  will  be  in  favor  of  a  temporary  union  of  the  two  parties  with  a 
view  to  such  a  separation  as  shall  prevent  litigation  and  secure  our 
property  and  legal  standing.  We  have  heard  here  that  Messrs.  Alex- 
ander Henry,  Bevan,  Newkirk,  Chauncey,  Kane,  Bayard,  are  all  in 
favor  of  this  course.  Mr.  Musgrave  is  in  favor  of  it ;  and  I  was  told 
that  a  clergyman  who  was  among  his  friends  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania, when  the  news  of  the  decision  arrived,  said  that  was  the  gen- 
eral feeling  there.  It  will  be  found,  also,  I  suspect,  the  general  feel- 
ing in  New  York.  Now,  what  a  spectacle  shall  we  exhibit  if  we  go 
to  denouncing  each  other ;  if  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  best 
means  of  attaining  the  same  end  be  made  a  breaking  point 
among  us. 

My  own  opinion  is  that  this  plan  will  be  found  impracticable.  It 
obviously  cannot  be  done  at  all  unless  there  is  a  general  unanimity 
in  favor  of  it.  Of  this  I  have  very  little  expectation ;  and  therefore 
think  that  those  who  would  prefer  it  ought  by  all  means  to  give  way 
to  their  brethren.  Even  if  a  considerable  minority  were  opposed,  it 
could  not  be  urged.  Still,  I  think  it  unfortunate  that  it  should  be  de- 
cided and  given  out  beforehand,  that  we  can  and  will  in  no  case  and 
for  no  purpose  go  back.  This  is  the  very  position  that  the  New 
School  papers  are  driving  us  by  taunts  and  insults  to  take.  We  are 
playing  into  their  hands,  therefore,  by  joining  in  this  cry  that  the  Old 
School  cannot  go  back.  They  do  not  want  us  back  ;  they  ought  to 
feel  that  they  are  not  quite  secure  from  such  visitation. 

A  second  plan  is  to  stand  aloof  and  claim  to  be  the  true  church. 
This  is  beset  with  difficulties.  We  shall  be  seceders  in  the  eye  of  the 
law,  in  Pennsylvania  at  least,  and  all  titles  to  church  property  will 
be  unsettled.  In  the  second  place,  it  will  give  rise,  in  all  probability, 
to  protracted  litigation  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  to  the  great  scan- 
dal of  the  church  and  injury  to  religion  ;  and  it  will  be  voluntarily 
throwing  in  the  hands  of  the  friends  of  error  and  disorder  immense 
advantages. 

A  third  plan  is  a  legal  compromise.  This  seems  to  me  so  ob- 
viously necessary  and  desirable  for  both  parties  that  I  do  not  believe 
the  mass  of  the  New  School  could  be  brought  by  their  leaders  to  op- 
pose it.  There  may  be  legal  difficulties  in  the  way  which  I  cannot 


320  CORRESPONDENCE  ON  THE  SUBJECT.  [1839. 

appreciate.  It  has  occurred  to  me,  however,  that  it  might  be  effected 
by  some  such  plan  as  this :  According  to  our  present  charter,  the 
General  Assembly  has  two  rights  in  relation  to  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees— first,  to  appoint  its  members  ;  and  second,  to  control  the  appli- 
cation of  the  funds.  Why  may  not  the  charter  be  so  altered  as  to 
confer  these  rights  on  the  two  Assemblies  ?  Let  each  have  nine 
trustees  in  the  Board,  and  each  be  authorized  to  direct  the  applica- 
tion of  the  funds,  which,  according  to  mutual  agreement,  shall  be 
recognized  as  belonging  to  each.  Such  a  contract  could  not  be 
broken  when  once  made,  and  our  funds  would  be  entirely  under  our 
own  control.  Neither  party  would  then  be  in  the  position  of  seced- 
ers,  and  all  litigation  would  be  prevented  throughout  the  country. 
The  more  I  have  thought  of  this  plan  the  more  does  it  appear 
to  be  practicable  and  desirable.  I  wish  you  would  consult  Mr. 
Chauncey  and  others  on  the  subject.  I  have  mentioned  it  to  several 
brethren,  who  seem  to  think  it  would  be  wise.  Among  others,  I 
talked  with  Dr.  Nott  about  it,  who  was  here  yesterday,  and  who  went 
from  here  to  Philadelphia.  The  Doctor,  I  suspect,  feels  that  the 
Philadelphia  brethren  have  not  as  much  confidence  in  him  as  he  feels 
he  deserves.  But  I  am  convinced  that  his  aims  are  right,  and  that 
he  could  be  of  immense  service  to  the  church  in  adjusting  our 
present  difficulties  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties,  if  they  would  but 
confide  in  him. 

We,  of  course,  are  looking  forward  with  great  anxiety  to  the  result 
of  the  argument  next  week. 

Yours  truly,  C.  HODGE. 


JET  AT.  4J9 


322  CHANGE  OF  PROFESSORSHIP:  [1840. 

This  change,  which  was  one  of  the  capital  and  most  ad- 
vantageous turning  points  of  Dr.  Hodge's  life,  was  not  only 
not  sought  by  him,  but  regarded  at  first  with  decided  aver- 
sion. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  May  11,  1840. 

My  Dear  Brother  : — How  did  you  hear  so  soon  of  my  being  made 
Dr.  Alexander's  adjunct?  The  thing  is  not  done  yet,  nor  is  it  likely 
to  be  done  in  a  hurry.  It  must  pass  the  Assembly  unanimously,  or 
lie  over  for  a  year.  That  no  one  should  object  to  it  I  should  consider 
well  nigh  miraculous.  I  have  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  be  perfectly 
quiet,  and  to  make  no  intimation  of  my  own  wishes  on  the  subject. 
For  two  reasons — First,  because  I  do  not  think  my  wishes  ought  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  the  business.  I  ought  to  be  willing  to  do 
just  what  the  church  bids  me.  The  second  reason  is,  that  I  would 
not  presume  to  put  my  wishes  in  opposition  to  those  of  Dr.  Alexan- 
der. I  think  he  ought,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  to  be  allowed  to  do 
just  as  he  pleases.  To  you,  however,  I  may  say  in  confidence,  that  I 
would  give  five  thousand  dollars,  if  I  had  them,  to  be  let  off.  The 
new  arrangement  knocks  all  my  plans  in  the  head,  and  will  increase 
my  official  labors  for  years  to  come  fourfold.  You  must  not  say  this 
to  anybody,  because,  having  given  my  consent  to  be  disposed  of  as 
they  see  fit,  it  would  be  unfair  to  raise  any  obstacle,  either  directly  or 
indirectly.  I  live  in  great  hopes  that  it  will  fall  through  without  any 
agency  of  mine.  And  then  I  shall  have  a  clear  conscience  as  well 
as  a  merry  heart. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

This  feeling  is  remarkable  in  consideration  of  the  fact 
that,  from  our  point  of  view,  his  natural  qualifications  for 
the  attainment  of  eminent  excellence  and  usefulness  in  the 
new  chair  were  far  greater  than  any  he  possessed  for  the 
attainment  of  the  same  rank  in  the  old  one.  Yet,  it  was 
surely  not  the  least  of  the  many  singularly  favorable  provi- 
dential adjustments  of  the  conditions  of  his  life  that  he 
should  have  been  required,  by  official  duty,  to  exercise  him- 
self for  twenty  years  in  a  department  of  theological  study  to 
which  his  natural  tastes  did  not  dispose  him.  Thus,  in  a 
way  in  which  for  him  it  was  alone  possible,  he  was  led  to 
make  acquisitions  in  the  original  languages  of  Scripture 


yET.  42.]  CHANGE  OF  PROFESSORSHIP.  323 

and  in  the  science  and  practice  of  Biblical  exegesis,  which 
are  professedly  the  basis  of  systematic  theology,  and  yet 
are  the  qualifications  in  which  the  vast  majority  of  specula- 
tive theologians  have  been  more  or  less  deficient.  Conse- 
quently, it  is  confidently  believed  that  very  few  of  the  emi- 
nent authors  of  our  classical  theological  literature  have 
equalled  the  subject  of  this  memoir  in  the  consistency  in 
which  they  carried  out  their  common  principle  of  making 
the  faithful  and  natural  interpretation  of  the  inspired  Word 
the  basis  of  all  doctrinal  induction,  and  in  the  Scriptural 
form  and  spirit,  as  well  as  substance,  of  their  systematic 
writings. 

For  the  first  eight  or  nine  years  of  his  work  in  the  new 
department  Dr.  Hodge's  method  was  such  that  he  was 
enabled  to  accomplish  the  best  results  of  his  life  in  class 
instruction.  Dr.  Alexander  continued  to  read  his  former 
theological  lectures  to  the  classes  until  Dr.  Hodge  had  his 
course  prepared.  The  first  lectures  the  latter  wrote  were 
those  on  the  Church,  which  were  delivered  during  the  win- 
ter of  1845-6.  The  first  lectures  forming  parts  of  the 
theological  course  proper  were  written  on  the  topics  of  the 
"Will"  and  the  "Second  Advent,"  and  were  read  to' the 
class  the  same  year.  In  the  meantime  he  met  both  the 
Middle  and  Senior  Classes  twice  a  week  each,  Tuesday  and 
Thursday,  or  Wednesday  and  Friday  afternoons  respect- 
ively. Before  the  first  meeting  of  either  class  for  the  week 
the  Professor  assigned  a  topic  and  a  corresponding  section 
of  Turrettine's  Institutes  of  Theology  in  Latin  for  pre- 
vious study.  When  they  met  the  hour  was  occupied  by  a 
thorough  discussion  of  this  subject  in  the  form  of  question 
and  answer.  In  this  form  of  discipline  his  chief  excellence 
as  a  teacher  was  brought  into  play.  He  questioned  with 
consummate  skill,  forcing  the  pupil  to  do  his  own  thinking, 
drawing  him  irresistibly  to  the  conviction  of  the  truth,  or 
overturning  his  false  positions  with  an  inevitable  reductio  ad 
absurdum.  As  the  truth  was  thus  evolved,  or  as  the  Pro- 


324  CHANGE  OF  PROFESSORSHIP.  [1841. 

fessor  finally  amended  the  result  in  his  own  words,  the  stu- 
dents eagerly  wrought  to  fix  the  whole  in  their  note  books. 
At  the  same  time  the  Professor  gave  them  a  list  of  questions 
on  the  topic,  numbering  from  twenty-five  to  forty,  answers 
to  which,  written  out  in  full,  were  to  be  read  to  him  at  the  t 
meeting  of  the  class  nine  days  afterwards.  These  answers 
were  elaborated  out  of  materials  drawn  from  Turrettine, 
and  the  notes  taken  in  the  class-room,  and  from  any  other 
source  rendered  accessible  by  the  Seminary  library.  The 
highest  enthusiasm  was  excited,  and  the  most  earnest  dili- 
gence. The  students  built  up  to  a  degree  their  own  systems 
of  theology,  and  were  vigorously  exercised  in  criticism, 
construction  and  expression.  Many  carried  away  from  the 
Seminary  from  two  to  six  quarto  volumes  of  manuscript 
filled  with  the  results  of  this  exercise,  which,  having  afforded 
them  the  most  profitable  discipline  in  the  past,  continued  to 
supply  them  with  digested  and  arranged  material  for 
preaching  which  lasted  during  several  of  the  early  years  of 
their  ministry. 

About  1847-8  he  began  to  lecture,  at  first  in  connection 
with  the  questions  and  answers  written  by  the  pupils,  and 
afterwards  without  them.  For  years,  although  he  re-wrote 
his  lectures  several  times,  he  was  harassed  with  the  inevit- 
able experience  of  lecturers,  in  having  his  lectures  system- 
atically taken  down  by  stenographers,  and  subsequently 
copied  from  hand  to  hand  and  given  back  to  him  verbally 
at  recitation.  Long  afterwards,  for  the  few  years  that  he 
taught  after  his  "  Systematic  Theology  "  was  published,  his 
teaching  became  much  more  satisfactory  to  himself,  when 
he  used  his  work  as  his  text-book  and  devoted  the  entire 
time  allotted  to  his  class  in  the  old  effective  exercise  of 
drill  by  questions  and  answers. 

"THE   WAY   OF    LIFE." 

In  1841  the  American  Sunday  School  Union  published 
his  "Way  of  Life."  This  is  a  duodecimo  of  380  pages,  in 


JET.  43.]  "  THE   WA  Y  OF  LIFE."  325 

which  his  design  is  to  set  clearly  before  the  minds  of  edu- 
cated youth  the  great  truths  involved  in  the  Gospel  method 
of  human  salvation.  The  book  is  eminently  luminous ;  its 
characteristic  attribute  is  light  suffused  with  love.  The  doc- 
trines of  Evangelical  Protestantism  are  clearly  and  fully  stated, 
yet  in  non-technical  language,  and  with  such  simplicity  and 
self-evidencing  power  that  the  compiler  of  these  memoirs 
has  constantly  advised  his  theological  students  to  read  the 
"Way  of  Life"  on  the  subjects  of  "Conviction  of  Sin,"  "  Faith," 
'•Justification,"  "  The  Sacraments  and  Profession  of  Religion," 
and  "Holy  Living"  in  connection  with  the  discussion  of 
the  same  topics  in  the  "  Systematic  Theology."  It  is  so 
richly  and  definitely  theological  that  Dr.  Archibald  Alexan- 
der, after  reading  the  manuscript,  while  expressing  his  cor- 
dial approbation  of  it,  declared  his  conviction  that  the  Pub- 
lishing Committee  of  the  Sunday  School  Union,  consist- 
ing of  the  representatives  of  all  evangelical  denominations, 
could  not  agree  in  giving  it  their  imprimatur.  Yet,  in  fact, 
no  suspicion  even  was  manifested,  except  by  the  representa- 
tive of  our  then  freshly  antagonized  New  School  brethren, 
and  his  apprehensions  were  easily  set  at  rest,  and  the  book 
was  adopted  unanimously.  It  was  immediately  reprinted 
by  the  London  Religious  Tract  Society,  and  was  subse- 
quently translated  into  Hindustani.  Thirty-five  thousand 
copies  have  been  circulated  in  America,  and  the  author's 
heart  has  been  often  filled  with  grateful  joy  from  informa- 
tion of  its  having  been,  in  many  specific  instances,  owned  of 
God  in  the  conversion  and  edification  of  souls,  alike  in 
America  and  in  Europe  and  in  Asia. 

His  own  account  of  it  is  thus  given  in  the  Preface :  "  It  is 
one  of  the  clearest  principles  of  divine  revelation  that  holi- 
ness is  the  fruit  of  truth ;  and  it  is  one  of  the  plainest  infer- 
ences from  that  principle  that  the  exhibition  of  the  truth  is 
the  best  means  of  promoting  holiness.  Christians  regard 
the  Word  of  God  as  the  only  infallible  teacher  of  those 
truths  which  relate  to  the  salvation  of  men.  But  are  the 


326  "  THE  WA  Y  OF  LIFE."  [1841. 

Scriptures  really  a  revelation  from  God  ?  If  they  are,  what 
doctrines  do  they  teach  ?  And  what  influence  should  those 
doctrines  exert  on  our  heart  and  life  ? 

"  The  Publishing  Committee  of  the  American  Sunday 
School  Union  have  long  felt  the  want  of  a  book  which 
should  give  a  plain  answer  to  these  questions,  and  be  suit- 
able to  place  in  the  hands  of  intelligent  and  educated  young 
persons,  either  to  arouse  their  attention  or  to  guide  their 
steps  in  the  WAY  OF  LIFE." 

The  New  England  Puritan  (March,  1842,)  said  of  it: 
"  We  know  not  where  the  evidence  of  the  divine  origin  of 
the  Scriptures  is  presented  in  a  way  so  well  adapted  to  take 
effect  upon  the  mind.  It  wins  while  it  convinces.  Here, 
in  our  opinion,  is  the  sterling  excellency  of  Dr.  Hodge. 
While  his  mind  is  endowed  with  such  clearness  that  it  can 
throw  a  blaze  of  light  upon  any  given  subject,  his  heart  is 
impregnated  with  such  benevolence  towards  his  fellow-men 
that  almost  every  one  who  comes  within  the  sphere  of  its 
attraction  becomes  a  willing  convert  to  his  opinions. 
While  he  convinces  the  judgment,  he  carries  captive  the 
will. 

"  But  the  evidence  of  the  divine  origin  of  the  Scriptures 
is  not  the  best  part  of  the  volume.  The  author  was  most 
at  home  on  the  doctrines,  and  there  he  is  primus  inter  pares. 
No  one,  we  think,  can  read  the  volume  under  consideration 
from  the  53d  to  the  245th  page — almost  two-thirds  of  the 
whole  work — without  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  no- 
where else  within  the  same  compass,  out  of  the  Sacred 
Record,  can  he  find  so  much  to  instruct  and  to  satisfy  his 
mind  and  to  edify  his  heart.  The  chapter  on  Justification 
especially  pleased  us." 

Yet,  it  is  true  that  the  expositions  of  Baptism  and  the 
Lord's  Supper,  of  the  Nature  and  Necessity  of  the  Public 
Profession  of  Religion  and  of  Holy  Living  are  as  exquisitely 
executed  and  as  precious  as  any  other  parts  of  the  work. 


>£T.  43.]  «  THE   WA  Y  OF  LIFE?  327 

DR.   ALEXANDER   TO    DR.    HODGE. 

May  ii,  1841. 

I  have  read  the  greater  part  of  your  manuscript  and  find  nothing 
from  which  I  feel  disposed  to  dissent.  Indeed,  your  views  of  the 
subjects  treated  correspond  very  exactly  with  those  which  I  enter- 
tain. 

On  the  subject  of  faith,  while  there  is  a  substantial  agreement, 
there  may  be  some  slight  shades  of  difference.  For  example,  I  make 
no  difference  between  a  saving  and  a  justifying  faith.  I  think  that 
you  make  a  difference  with  Dr.  Owen. 

The  chapters  are  entirely  too  long.  It  is  of  much  importance  that 
in  such  a  work  the  chapters  should  be  of  moderate  length.  The 
first  chapter  ought  undoubtedly  to  be  divided  into  three.  But  even 
where  the  same  subject  is  continued,  it  is  better  to  have  it  divided. 
I  find  that  in  my  own  reading  I  am  often  turning  to  see  how  many 
pages  remain  before  the  termination  of  the  chapter. 

As  you  have  written  the  book  for  the  Sunday  School  Union,  it  is 
useless  to  offer  any  remarks  on  that  subject,  otherwise  I  would 
strongly  recommend  the  Board  of  Publication.  It  struck  me  as 
doubtful  whether  the  S.  S.  Union  could  publish  all  that  you  have 
written  without  offence  to  some  of  their  friends.  For,  to  say  nothing 
of  Arminians  who  patronize  that  Institution,  there  are  few  of  the  New 
School  ministers  who  believe  in  the  imputation  of  Christ's  active 
obedience,  which  is  made  prominent  in  your  book.  I  would  not 
have  you,  on  any  account,  to  alter  a  word  for  that  reason,  which 
would  be  disloyal  to  the  truth.  This  is  the  great  defect  of  the  Insti- 
tution, that  they  cannot  teach  the  whole  truth,  but  only  that  part  of  it 
in  which  all  their  patrons  are  agreed. 

Yours,  &c.,  A.  ALEXANDER 

BISHOP   JOHNS   TO    DR.    HODGE. 

BALTIMORE,  Feb.  15,  1842. 

If  I  were  to  write  to  you,  my  dear  Charles,  as  often  and  as  much 
as  I  muse  about  you,  you  would  have  to  complain  of  the  tax  upon 
your  time  and  your  purse.  Fortunately  for  you,  my  musings  end 
where  they  begin,  in  my  own  mind  and  heart,  and  whilst  they  afford 
me  no  small  amount  of  pleasure,  inflict  nothing  upon  you.  If  you 
desire  to  know  how  it  comes  to  pass  that  they  insist  on  expression 
now,  understand  that  you  alone  are  answerable  for  it.  I  have  been 
reading  your  book,  and  it  is  not  in  me  to  refrain  from  communicat- 


328  "  THE  WA  Y  OF  LIFE."  [1842. 

ing  the  proud  satisfaction  with  which  I  have  perused  it.  Will  you 
believe  it  ? — I  was  silly  enough  to  feel  all  the  while  as  if  I  had  a  hand 
in  it  myself,  and  my  enjoyment  was  increased  by  a  fiction,  which  I 
had  no  disposition  to  resist,  that  I  was  somehow  honorably  concerned 
in  the  production.  One  thing,  however,  is  certain,  I  shall  use  it  as 
freely  as  if  it  were  all  my  own,  and  shall  find  it  serviceable  to  my- 
self in  a  way  in  which  it  cannot  be  a  help  to  its  author.  I  have  sent 
it  out  into  my  congregation  with  an  unqualified  endorsement,  and 
hope  soon  to  find  it  in  every  family  under  my  care.  I  am  sure  it  will 
be  received  with  as  much  favor  by  the  evangelical  portion  of  our 
communion  as  among  your  own  people,  and  do  great  good  where, 
perhaps,  you  little  anticipated  it. 

The  fifth  chapter  I  read  with  peculiar  satisfaction.  It  is  so  simple, 
so  clear,  so  scriptural,  I  do  not  see  how  any  one  who  bows  to  the  au- 
thority of  the  Word  can  except  to  a  single  sentence,  or  how  a  sinner, 
conscious  of  his  own  guilt,  can  fail  to  acquiesce  in  it  as  indeed  the 
Way  of  Life.  The  succession  of  arguments  is  stated  conclusively, 
and  the  Biblical  illustrations  are  most  happily  set  forth  and  ap- 
plied. *  *  *  * 

The  passage  from  page  184  to  the  bottom  of  page  186  strikes  me 
as  the  best  of  all  the  good  things  in  the  book.  It  has  furnished  me 
with  a  new  form  of  presenting  the  subject  to  such  as  seek  salvation, 
and  I  hope  to  be  able  to  employ  it  for  the  guidance  and  relief  of  anx- 
ious minds. 

I  admire  the  calm  dignity  with  which  you  have  written  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end,  yet  with  quite  as  much  earnestness  as  is  neces- 
sary to  rouse  and  retain  the  interest  of  the  reader. 

On  the  whole,  those  who  don't  know  you  personally  will  form  a 
very  good  opinion  of  you  from  this  book,  and  to  those  who  do,  it  will 
disclose  nothing  to  disturb  such  impression. 

Now  let  me  write  a  little  about  the  Doctor  (Hugh  Hodge).  I  sup- 
pose you  know  he  has  had  my  dear  wife  under  his  care  ever  since  I 
was  with  you  in  September  last.  *  *  Hugh  received  me  with  a 
brother's  interest,  and  has  rendered  us  such  services,  and  in  such  a 
spirit,  that,  apart  from  early  and  long  cherished  affection,  he  has 
bound  me  to  himself  by  the  strongest  obligations. 

Truly  your  brother,  J.  JOHNS. 

The  publication  of  the  "Way  of  Life"  was  the  occasion 
of  his  receiving  from  his  old  friend,  Ludwig  von  Gerlach, 
then  President-Justice  of  the  province  of  Magdeburg,  the 
following  letter : 


^T.  49.]  «  THE  WA  Y  OF  LIFE."  329 

LUDWIG  VON  GERLACH  TO  DR.  HODGE. 

MAGDEBURG,  August  8,  1847. 

My  Dear  Sir : — By  these  lines  a  friend  wishes  to  be  recalled  to 
your  memory,  who  twenty  years  ago  was  connected  with  you  in 
Christian  fellowship,  and  who  has  never  met  you  since  that  time,  nor 
expects  to  meet  you  on  this  side  of  eternity.  It  is  your  tract  "  The 
Way  of  Life,"  which  has  led  me  to  call  on  you  by  this  probably  un- 
expected letter;  for  during  an  official  journey  through  the  province 
of  my  jurisdiction,  I  have  read  this  work ;  and  my  feeling  of  union 
with  you  in  faith  and  profession  of  the  great  fundamental  truths  of 
religion,  has  by  this  reading,  become  so  strong  and  so  lively,  that  I 
cannot  forbear  to  express  it,  and  to  thank  you  for  the  spiritual  bless- 
ing you  have  conferred  on  me  by  this  book.  These  feelings  are  the 
more  powerful  on  my  mind  on  account  of  the  difference  of  my 
present  tendency  from  that  of  your  tract.  For  this  very  minor  dif- 
ference is  shedding  a  brighter  light  on  the  essential  unity,  which  our 
blessed  Saviour,  by  His  grace,  His  word,  and  His  Spirit,  has  estab- 
lished between  us ;  and  which,  I  trust,  He  will  maintain  through 
time  and  eternity.  The  development  of  Germany,  in  a  religious  and 
in  a  political  respect,  makes  the  Christians  of  our  country  to  long 
after  catholicity,  and  perhaps  after  the  essential  truth  of  what  you 
would  call  "  sacramental  religion."  It  is  not  the  way  of  salvation, 
which  is  now  the  prominent  subject  of  our  minds,  but  rather  the  high 
articles  of  the  Divine  Majesty,  which  occupied  so  much  the  primitive 
Church,  and  about  which  there  was  no  difference  of  opinion  between 
the  contending  parties  of  the  i6th  century.  Being  surrounded  by 
Atheists  and  Pantheists,  we  strive  to  establish  a  consciousness  of  the 
essential  unity  of  all  Christians,  Romanists  not  excepted ;  and  the 
great  fact  of  the  whole  Church  being  the  body  of  Christ  is  foremost 
in  our  minds.  It  will  not  do  with  us  to  take  it  for  granted  that  the 
Bible— the  "sacred  volume," — as  the  English-speaking  Christians 
call  it — is  a  whole  (ein  Ganzes)  without  inquiring  how  it  came  to  be 
such,  for  the  New  Testament  no  where  exhibits  the  idea  of  the  New 
Testament  as  a  book.  And  we  cannot  suppose,  as  you  perhaps  are 
entitled  to  do,  that  our  inquiries  are  standing  vis-a-vis  of  this  book, 
and  examining  it  as  a  whole.  They  oblige  us  to  take  higher  ground, 
and  to  develop  the  ideas  of  authority  and  of  inspiration,  etc.,  in  order 
to  establish  on  firm  ground  the,  for  us,  all  important  doctrine  of  the 
Church.  But  all  this  shall  only  give  you  an  idea  of  the  feelings  with 
which  I  have  thankfully  perused  your  excellent  tract,  which  exhibits 
in  a  very  clear  way  and  with  great  force  those  blessed  doctrines, 
which  constitute  the  true  Way  of  Life,  and  in  which  it  is  delightful 


33O  "  THE   WA  Y  OF  LIFE."  [1842. 

for  me  to  think  that  you  on  that,  and  I  on  this  side  of  the  ocean  so 
heartily  coincide.  God  grant  that  this  coincidence  be  a  pledge  that 
we  shall  be  united  for  ever  before  the  throne  of  grace. 

You  know  that  my  brother  Otto  is  now  "  Hof-prediger ''  of  our 
king.  I  am  president  of  the  court  of  justice  of  this  province.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1844  I  was  in  England,  Scotland  and  Ireland, 
chiefly  to  study  the  law-institutions  of  those  countries.  But  even  this 
voyage  has  not  prevented  you,  as  you  see,  your  being  troubled  by 
the  very  bad  English  of  this  letter,  since  I  have  very  little  occasion 
of  speaking  this  language. 

I  remain,  through  the  Lord's  grace,  your  very  thankful, 

VON  GERLACH. 

P.  S. — I  do  not  know  if  you  are  reading  the  Evangelische  Kir- 
chenzeitung.  If  you  do  you  will  find  in  the  papers  of  June  1847,  an 
article  on  the  "  Indivisibility  of  the  Church,"  from  my  pen,  which 
may  give  you  some  idea  of  the  questions — very  important  ones  I 
trust — now  occupying  our  German  minds. 

The  chapter  of  your  tract  on  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  is  the 
only  one  from  which  I  must  dissent  on  any  essential  point.  Your 
doctrine  of  the  sacraments,  as  it  seems  to  me,  does  not  quite  do 
justice  to  the  "  objective  content  and  import "  of  these  ordinances, 
but  subjects  them  too  much  to  the  state  of  mind  of  the  recipient, 
whom  they  are  destined  to  justify  and  to  sanctify.  It  is  not  clear  to 
me,  how,  according  to  your  doctrine,  you  can  avoid  rejecting  pedo- 
baptism.  I  hold  the  sacraments  to  be  in  their  nature,  the  actual 
means,  not  only  signs  and  seals  of  grace,  though  the  grace,  by 
man's  sin  may  be  converted  into  curse. 

DR.    OTTO    VON    GERLACH   TO    DR.    HODGE. 

PARIS,  July  27,  1842. 

My  Dear  Friend ': — A  long  time  has  again  elapsed  since  I  last 
wrote  to  you.  Meanwhile  I  have  passed  four  months  in  England, 
"the  country  of  your  forefathers,"  as  you  remarked  when  leaving 
Berlin.  When  there  I  was  upon  point  of  following  my  inmost  desire 
and  visiting  North  America,  and  again,  as  I  can  truthfully  say, 
seeing  you  my  friend,  who  has  become  so  dear  to  me. 

The  bearer  of  this  letter  is  your  fellow-countryman,  Mr.  Prentiss, 
from  the  State  of  Maine.  He  is  one  of  the  worthiest  and  most 
estimable  Americans  I  have  ever  met.  He  is  acquainted  with  all 
the  particulars  concerning  my  journey  in  England  and  will  relate 
them  to  you. 


1842.]  "  THE   WAY  OF  LIFE."  331 

While  in  London  I  had  many  thoughts  of  you,  and  I  also  pur- 
chased your  "  Way  of  Life!"  In  fourteen  days  I  hope  to  be  in 
Berlin  again.  I  am  residing  there  now  in  very  great  activity,  which 
also  yearly  increases.  Our  king  has  not  only  introduced  a  general 
tolerance,  but  he  will  also  elevate  the  standard  of  the  established 
Church,  in  order  that  it  may  manifest  its  own  wants.  Advisory 
synods  have  already  arisen  in  a  greater  part  of  the  land.  It  is  un- 
true that  he  wishes  to  introduce  the  English  Episcopal  Church,  as  is 
urged  against  him  especially  in  France.  He  has,  indeed,  a  liking 
for  certain  of  its  institutions,  but  not,  however,  for  the  organization  as 
a  whole.  Moreover,  generally  speaking,  he  will  not  introduce  any- 
thing into  the  Church  by  virtue  of  his  kingly  authority,  but  only 
upon  decision  of  the  Church  itself.  That  the  bishopric  in  Jerusalem 
should  point  toward  this  is  therefore  false.  I  disapprove  of  some 
things  in  this  organization  so  much  that  I  can  only  regard  the  present 
situation  of  our  Church  on  the  whole  as  most  highly  gratifying  and 
rich  in  blessings — for  which  all  Christians,  who,  like  myself,  are  not 
English  Episcopalians,  and  do  not  wish  to  become  so,  ought  to  thank 
God.  On  the  whole  I  hope  that  the  Christian  life  will  progress,  as 
indeed  the  sorrowful  condition  of  our  great  cities  especially  causes 
terror.  In  this  respect  we  can  now  learn  much  in  England,  for  it  is 
truly  wonderful  how  many  churches  have  arisen  there. 

Indeed,  if  Puseyism  should  be  more  widely  spread,  a  terrible  crisis 
might  threaten  the  English  Church,  and  I  believe  that  this  tendency, 
although  in  a  more  moderate  form,  is  spreading  considerably.  The- 
ological learning  is  lacking  very  greatly  in  English  evangelical 
works,  and  therefore  the  people  cannot  withstand  the  evidently  igno- 
rant, but  yet  more  influential  and  important  men  of  the  Puseyite 
sect.  I  spent  several  days  at  Oxford  in  dispute  with  Dr.  Pusey.  He 
is  a  very  poor,  weak  man.  How  much  would  I  have  to  say  to  you 
in  regard  to  all  this.  Yet  I  must  draw  my  letter  to  a  close. 

Pray  let  me  hear  from  you  again  as  occasion  may  present  itself. 
In  sincere  love  I  remain,  as  ever, 

Your  friend, 

OTTO  VON  GERLACH. 

Though  he  subsequently  received  some  letters  from  Tho- 
luck,  yet  from  this  time  his  correspondence  with  his  Chris- 
tian German  friends  practically  ceases.  Time  and  distance, 
and  occupation  with  new  scenes  and  persons  made  active 
intercourse  impossible.  Yet  the  affection  was  immortal, 
and  in  his  very  last  days  the  photographs  of  Ludwig  von 


332     ARTICLES  IN  THE  "PRINCETON  REVIEW"    [1840-51. 

Gerlach,  of  Tholuck,  and  of  Bishop  Johns  were  around  his 
desk  and  kept  in  constant  recognition,  while  those  of  many 
friends  of  more  recent  acquisition  were  pushed  aside  for 
them. 

HIS   ARTICLES   IN   THE    "PRINCETON    REVIEW." 

During  this  decade  he  wrote  no  book  except  the  "  Way 
of  Life."  But  his  pen  was  more  active  than  at  any  other 
period  of  his  life  in  writing  his  lectures  on  the  Church  and 
on  Theology,  his  articles  in  the  Princeton  Review,  and 
innumerable  letters  in  answer  to  applications  made  for  his 
opinion,  or  aid  to  others  in  forming  their  opinions  on 
all  conceivable  subjects. 

His  contributions  to  the  Princeton  Review  during  this 
period  were  :  1 840 — Presbyterianism  in  Virginia ;  Dr. 
Hill's  American  Presbyterianism ;  New  Jersey  College 
and  President  Davies ;  The  General  Assembly ;  Discourse 
on  Religion  by  Mr.  Coit. 

1841 — Bishop  Doane  and  the  Oxford  Tracts  (with  Prof. 
J.  A.  A.). 

1842 — The  Theological  Opinions  of  President  Davies  • 
Milman's  History  of  Christianity ;  The  General  Assembly; 
Rule  of  Faith. 

1843 — Rights  of  Ruling  Elders  ;  The  General  Assembly. 

1844 — General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland 
(with  Prof.  J.  A.  A.) ;  Claims  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scot- 
land ;  The  General  Assembly ;  Abolitionism. 

1845 — Beman  on  the  Atonement  ;  Thornwell  on  the 
Apocrypha ;  SchafFs  Protestantism ;  The  General  As- 
sembly. 

1846 — Theories  of  the  Church;  Is  the  Church  of  Rome 
a  part  of  the  Visible  Church  ?  The  General  Assembly ; 
Neil's  Lectures  on  Biblical  History;  The  Religious  State  of 
Germany ;  The  late  Dr.  John  Breckinridge ;  The  Life  and 
Writings  of  Dr.  Richards. 

1 847 — Finney's  Lectures  on  Theology ;  The  Support  of 


JET.  38-46.]  SLA  VER  Y.  233 

the  Clergy ;  The  General  Assembly  (with  Dr.  Hope) ;  Bush- 
nell  on  Christian  Nurture. 

1848 — The  Doctrine  of  the  Reformed  Church;  The  Gen- 
eral Assembly;  Dr.  Spring  on  the  Power  of  the  Pulpit 
(with  Prof.  J.  A.  A.). 

1849 — The  American  Board,  Special  Report  of  the  Pru- 
dential Committee;  Bushnell's  Discourses;  The  General 
Assembly ;  Emancipation. 

1850 — The  Memoir  of  Walter  M.  Lowrie;  The  General 
Assembly ;  Prof.  Park's  Sermon. 

1851 — Civil  Government;  Remarks  on  the  Princeton 
Review ;  The  General  Assembly ;  Prof.  Park  and  the 
Princeton  Review. 

The  most  important  of  these  may  be  classified  as  fol- 
lows: 

SLAVERY. 

I.  The  articles  "  On  Slavery/'  April,  1836,  and  "On 
Emancipation  as  accomplished  in  the  West  Indies,"  Oc- 
tober, 1838,  and  "On  Abolitionism,"  October,  1844,  and 
"  On  Emancipation  as  proposed  by  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckinridge 
in  Kentucky,"  October,  1849  form  an  important  class.  The 
first  and  the  last  of  these  were  included  in  a  selection  from 
his  articles,  arid  published  in  a  volume  in  1856,  and  again 
in  1 879,  under  the  title  of  "  Essays  and  Reviews,"  by 
Charles  Hodge. 

It  was  his  most  conspicuous  and  uniform  characteristic, 
all  his  life,  and  in  every  region  of  thought,  to  make  the 
inspired  Word  of  God,  and  neither  his  intuitions,  nor  his 
sentiments,  nor  the  opinions  of  mankind,  the  absolute  rule 
of  his  thinking  and  of  his  convictions.  Hence  he  was 
equally  out  of  sympathy  with  the  pro-slavery  men  who  re- 
garded the  institution  divine  and  to  be  perpetuated  as  good 
in  itself,  and  with  the  "Abolitionists,"  who  held  the  holding 
of  slaves  to  be  a  sin  in  itself,  to  be  in  every  case  visited 
with  Christian  condemnation  and  ecclesiastical  discipline. 


334  SLAVERY.  [1836-44- 

He  was,  on  the  other  hand,  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the 
many  Southern  Christians  who  strove  to  follow  the  will 
of  Christ  under  the  providential  conditions  He  had  im- 
posed upon  them,  and  with  the  Colonization  Society,  and 
with  the  noble  efforts  of  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckinridge  and  his  co- 
adjutors in  the  work  of  emancipation  in  Kentucky.  This 
position  he  maintained,  in  all  respects  unchanged,  to  his 
dying  day.  His  own  explanation  of  his  position  on  these 
delicate  points  is  given  in  his  "  Retrospect  of  the  History 
of  the  Princeton  Review"  written  in  1871  :  "The  conduct- 
ors of  this  Review  have  always  endeavored  to  adhere  faith- 
fully to  the  principle  that  the  Scriptures  are  the  only  infal- 
lible rule  of  faith  and  practice.  Therefore,  when  any  matter, 
either  of  doctrine  or  morals,  came  under  discussion,  the 
question  with  them  was,  '  What  saith  the  Lord  ?'  Nothing 
that  the  Bible  pronounces  true  can  be  false ;  nothing  that  it 
declares  to  be  false  can  be  true ;  nothing  is  obligatory  on 
the  conscience  but  what  it  enjoins  ;  nothing  can  be  sin  but 
what  it  condemns.  If,  therefore,  the  Scriptures  under  the 
Old  Dispensation  permitted  men  to  hold  slaves,  and  if  the 
New  Testament  nowhere  condemns  slave-holding,  but  pre- 
scribes the  relative  duties  of  masters  and  slaves,  then  to 
pronounce  slave-holding  to  be  in  itself  sinful  is  contrary  to 
the  Scriptures.  In  like  manner,  if  the  Bible  nowhere  con- 
demns the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  beverage,  if  our 
Lord  himself  drank  wine,  then  to  say  that  all  use  of  intox- 
icating liquor  as  a  beverage  is  sin,  is  only  one  of  the  many 
forms  of  the  infidelity  of  benevolence.  It  is  as  much  con- 
trary to  our  allegiance  to  the  Bible  to  make  our  own  notions 
of  right  or  wrong  the  rule  of  duty  as  to  make  our  own  rea- 
son the  rule  of  faith. 

"  It  is  well  known  that  both  slavery  and  intemperance 
Were  matters  of  national  importance,  and  awakened  earnest 
and  continued  controversy.  As  to  slavery,  so  far  as  the 
North  was  concerned,  it  was  universally  regarded  as  an  evil, 
which  ought  in  some  way  to  be  brought  to  an  end.  The 


MT.  38-46.]  SLA  VER  Y.  335 

difference  of  opinion  related  to  the  means  by  which  that 
end  was  to  be  accomplished.  The  Abolitionists,  so  called, 
maintained  that  all  slave-holding,  as  inconsistent  with  the 
inalienable  rights  of  man  and  with  the  law  of  love,  is 
sinful ;  and,  therefore,  that  immediate  and  universal  emanci- 
pation was  an  imperative  duty.  Another  necessary  conse- 
quence of  the  assumption  that  '  slave-holding  is  a  heinous 
crime  against  God  and  man,'  is  that  no  slave-holder  could 
properly  be  admitted  to  Christian  fellowship.  As  the  people 
of  God,  under  the  Old  Dispensation,  were  allowed  by  law  to 
purchase  slaves,  and  to  hold  those  of  heathen  origin  in  per- 
petual bondage;  as  slavery  existed  among  the  Romans, 
Greeks  and  Jews  during  the  apostolic  age;  as  neither 
Christ  nor  his  apostles  denounced  slave-holding  as  a  crime, 
nor  taught  that  emancipation  was  an  imperative  and  imme- 
diate duty;  and  as,  beyond  doubt,  the  apostles  admitted  slave- 
holders to  the  communion  of  the  Christian  Church,  the  con- 
ductors of  this  Review,  from  first  to  last,  maintained  that  the 
doctrine  that  slave-holding  is  in  itself  a  crime,  is  anti-scrip- 
tural, and  subversive  of  the  authority  of  the  Word  of  God. 
"  The  principles  maintained  in  the  articles  above  named 
are,  (i)  That  slavery  is,  as  defined  by  Paley,  'An  obligation 
to  labor  for  the  benefit  of  the  master,  without  the  contract 
or  consent  of  the  servant.'  It  involves  the  deprivation 
of  personal  liberty,  obligation  of  service  at  the  discretion 
of  another,  and  the  transferable  character  of  the  authority 
and  claim  of  service  of  the  master.  (2)  The  slave,  accord- 
ing to  this  definition,  is  the  property  of  his  master.  But 
property  is  merely  the  right  of  possession  and  use.  The 
rights  therein  involved  differ  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
thing  possessed.  A  man  has  the  right  of  property  in  his 
wife,  his  children,  in  his  houses  and  land,  his  cattle  and  ser- 
vants. Property  in  a  horse  does  not  involve  the  right  to 
treat  it  as  a  log  of  wood ;  and  property  in  man  does  not  in- 
volve the  right  to  use  him  as  a  brute.  He  can  be  used  only 
as  a  rational,  moral  and  immortal  creature  can,  according  to 


336  SLAVERY.  [1836-44. 

divine  law,  be  rightfully  used.  All  the  rights  conceded  to 
him  by  the  Word  of  God  must  be  faithfully  regarded.  (3) 
The  master,  therefore,  is  bound  to  provide  for  the  intellec- 
tual and  moral  education  of  the  slave.  Every  human  being 
has  the  right  to  be  taught  to  read  the  Word  of  God,  and 
learn  the  way  of  salvation  for  himself.  Secondly,  the  mas- 
ter is  bound  to  respect  the  conjugal  rights  of  his  slaves;  and 
this  forbids  the  separation  of  husbands  and  wives.  Thirdly, 
he  is  bound  to  respect  their  parental  rights,  and  this  pre- 
vents the  separation  of  parents  and  their  minor  children. 
Fourthly,  he  is  bound  to  give  them  a  fair  compensation  for 
their  labor,  which  supposes  the  right  on  the  part  of  the 
slave  to  hold  property.  Any  laws  inconsistent  with  these 
principles  are  unscriptural  and  unjust,  and  ought  to  be  im- 
mediately abrogated.  (4)  The  consequences  of  acting  on 
k these  principles  would  be  the  speedy  and  peaceful  abroga- 
tion of  slavery,  the  gradual  elevation  of  the  slaves  to  all  the 
rights  of  free  citizens.  This  is  the  ground  taken  in  the  art- 
icle of  1836.  In  the  conclusion  of  that  article  it  is  said: 
'  It  may  be  objected  that  if  the  slaves  are  allowed  so  to  im- 
prove as  to  become  free  men,  the  next  step  in  their  progress 
is  that  they  will  become  citizens.  We  admit  that  it  is  so. 
The  feudal  serf  first  became  a  tenant,  then  a  proprietor  in- 
vested with  political  power.  This  is  the  natural  progress  of 
political  society,  and  it  should  be  allowed  freely  to  expand 
itself,  or  it  will  work  its  own  destruction.' 

"  The  great  popular  mistake  on  this  subject — a  mistake 
which  produced  incalculable  evil — was  confounding  slave- 
holding  with  slave  laws.  Because  a  despotic  monarch  may 
make  unjust  and  cruel  laws,  in  order  to  keep  his  people  in 
a  state  of  degradation,  that  his  power  may  be  secured  and 
rendered  permanent,  it  does  not  follow  that  an  absolute 
monarchy  is  'a  heinous  crime  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man.' 
In  like  manner,  because  the  laws  of  a  slave-holding  State 
may  be  unscriptural  and  wicked,  it  does  not  follow  that 
slave-holding  is  itself  sinful." 


MT.  47.]  BE  MAN  ON  THE  ATONEMENT.  337 

II.  The  articles  on  the  "  Rule  of  Faith,"  "  Beman  on  the 
Atonement,"  "  Bushnell  on  Christian  Culture,"  and  "  Profes- 
sor Park's  Sermon,  entitled  '  The  Theology  of  the  Intellect 
and  that  of  the  Feelings/  "  all  of  them  attracted  general  at- 
tention, and  built  up  his  reputation  as  a  sound  theologian 
and  an  effective  controversialist.    They  were  all  reprinted  in 
America  and  Great  Britain  in  the  volumes  entitled  "  Prince- 
ton Essays"  and  "  Essays  and  Reviews." 

The  article  in  review  of  Beman  on  the  Atonement  was 
published  in  Scotland  under  the  title — "  The  Orthodox 
Doctrine  regarding  the  Atonement  vindicated  by  Charles 
Hodge,  D.  D.,  &c.,"  with  a  Recommendatory  Preface  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Cunningham,  Prof.  McCrie,  Drs.  Candlish  and 
Symington. 

In  the  Free  Church  Magazine,  1846,  there  is  a  notice  of 
that  volume  by  Dr.  W.  M.  Hetherington,  as  follows :  "  It 
would  be  difficult  to  mention  another  treatise  of  the  same 
size  in  which  so  much  useful  information  will  be  found, 
both  in  regard  to  the  nature  and  to  the  extent  of  the  Atone- 
ment. Dr.  Hodge  is  already  most  favorably  known  in  this 
country  by  some  theological  works  as  remarkable  for  the 
profound  learning  they  indicate  as  for  the  dignified  simpli- 
city with  which  themes  of  sacred  learning  are  discussed  in 
them.  One  prevailing  feature  of  his  writings  is  the  evidence 
they  constantly  supply  that  his  orthodoxy  is  not  merely  a 
passive  impression,  but  the  attainment  of  a  mind  vigorously 
exercised  in  the  search  of  truth.  .  This  treatise  gives  a 
lucid  summary  of  the  most  important  points  bearing  on 
present  controversies  respecting  the  Atonement,  is  written 
in  a  strain  of  calm  power  and  dignity,  and  successfully  com- 
bats the  sophistries  through  which  so  many  authors  attempt 
to  refute  the  old  and  orthodox  doctrine,  not  by  fair  argu- 
ments against  it,  but  by  an  utter  caricature  of  the  doctrine 
itself." 

III.  His  article   on   the  "  Claims    of  the   Free    Church 
of  Scotland"  was  written  in  the  spring  of  1844,  just  after 

22 


338  SUSTENTATION.  [1847. 

the  first  two  visits  of  Dr.  Wm.  Cunningham  to  his  house. 
It  was  regarded  by  that  eminent  Free-churchman  himself 
as  a  faithful  exposition  of  the  principles  of  that  body,  and  as 
an  efficient  plea  for  its  moral  and  material  support.  Upon 
his  return  to  Scotland  Dr.  Cunningham  read  copious  ex- 
tracts from  this  article,  in  connection  with  his  report  to  the 
General  Assembly.  The  moderator,  Dr.  Gordon,  in  thank- 
ing Dr.  Cunningham  and  his  colleagues  in  the  commission 
said  among  other  things :  "  I  think  he  (Dr.  C.)  has  pro- 
duced in  the  extracts  which  he  has  read  from  the  living 
American  divine,  who,  of  all  others  of  whom  I  have  read,  I 
do  most  honor  and  esteem,  evidence  that  the  feeling  which 
he  (Dr.  C.)  has  awakened  by  the  simple  exposition  of  our 
principles  is  already  working  for  good  in  America  itself." 

IV.  His  article  on   "Civil  Government"  and  the  trans- 
cendently  important  principles  he  held  as  to  the  relation  of 
the  Church  to  the  State,  and  of  the  State  to  the  Christian 
Religion,  will   be  more   appropriately  discussed  when  we 
come  to  his  articles  on  the  state  of  the  country  and  of  the 
Church,  written  during  the  civil  war. 

V.  His   article   on  the  "Theories  of  the  Church,"  and 
that  on  the  "  Rights   of  Ruling  Elders,"   form   pa/t  of  a 
series  covering  the  entire  department  of  ecclesiology,  which, 
although  written  and  delivered  as  lectures  to  his  Seminary 
classes  during  the  decade  embraced  in  this  chapter,  were 
nevertheless,  for   the   most   part,   not   published  until   ten 
years  afterwards,  when  they  led  to  considerable  discussion 
and  to  the  exhibition  of  much  diversity  of  opinion. 

SUSTENTATION. 

VI.  The  article  on  the  "  Support  of  the  Clergy,"  July, 
1847,  was  a  review  of  "An  Earnest  Appeal"  to  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland  on   the   subject  of  "  Economics,"  by 
Thomas  Chalmers,  D.  D.     At  the   same  time  Dr.  Hodge 
made  his  sermon  as  Moderator  at  the  opening  of  the  Gen- 
eral  Assembly  at   Richmond,   an    earnest   appeal    to   the 


^T.  49-]  SUSTENTATION.  339 

American  Church  in  behalf  of  the  great  principles  fought 
for  by  Dr.  Chalmers  in  Scotland,  and  subsequently  by  Dr. 
McCosh  and  Dr.  Jacobus  by  means  of  the  "  Sustentation 
Scheme"  in  America.  Dr.  Hodge  is  thus  proved  to  have 
been  the  first  and  the  most  persistent  advocate  of  this  most 
necessary  reform  in  our  ecclesiastical  administration.  Nine- 
teen years  afterwards,  in  an  article  on  "  The  Sustentation 
Fund,"  January,  1866,  he  reiterates  this  plea  with  increased 
force  of  argument  and  intensity  of  conviction.  He  defines 
a  "Sustentation  Fund"  to  be — "A  sum  raised  by  annual 
contributions  to  carry  out  the  two  principles,  first,  that 
every  minister  of  the  gospel,  devoted  to  his  work,  is  enti- 
tled, by  the  command  of  Christ,  to  a  competent  support; 
and  secondly,  that  the  obligation  to  furnish  that  support 
rests  upon  the  Church  as  a  whole.  That  is,  that  the 
Church,  in  her  organic  unity,  is  bound  to  provide  an  ade- 
quate support  for  every  man  whom  she  ordains  to  the  min- 
istry, and  who  is  qualified  and  willing  to  devote  himself  to 
her  service.  The  soundness  of  these  principles  we  have  en- 
deavored to  establish."  These  principles  he  always  held  to 
be  not  only  true,  but  of  the  greatest  practical  importance, 
and  that  their  practical  execution  was  especially  demanded 
by  the  conditions  of  the  American  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  sympathized  with  all  his  heart  with  the  gallant  struggle 
to  carry  those  principles  into  action  by  Dr.  Jacobus  and  the 
Sustentation  Committee,  and  he  lamented  the  failure  of  that 
enterprise  as  a  great  ecclesiastical  disaster. 

VII.  In  his  articles  on  the  General  Assembly,  the  most 
important  subjects  of  permanent  interest  discussed  were  the 
"  Validity  of  the  Baptism  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church," 
the  "  Quorum,"  and  "  Elder  Questions,"  and  the  "  Marriage 
of  a  Man  with  the  Sister  of  his  deceased  Wife."  The 
"Quorum"  and  "Elder  Questions"  will  fall  properly  under 
the  consideration  of  his  articles  on  the  Church  and  its  offi- 
cers, which  is  reserved  for  a  future  page.  As  to  the  mar- 
riage of  a  man  with  the  sister  of  his  deceased  wife,  he  ar- 


340  ROMISH  BAPTISM.  [1845. 

gued,  both  on  the  floor  of  the  Assemblies  of  1842  and  1847, 
and  in  his  articles  on  the  Assembly  for  1842,  1843  and  1847, 
that  such  marriages  are  forbidden  in  Scripture,  and  there- 
fore unlawful  for  Christians,  to  be  forbidden  and  made  the 
occasion  of  discipline  by  the  church  courts;  but,  on  the 
other  handr  that  they  are  not  invalid,  and  that  the  parties  to 
them  should  not  be  separated  and  might,  after  a  period  of 
suspension,  be  restored  to  the  communion  of  the  church. 

ROMISH    BAPTISM. 

The  General  Assembly  which  met  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
May  1845,  suddenly  fulminated  by  a  vote  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty-nine  to  eight,  non  liquet  eight,  the  new  and  anti- 
Protestant  doctrine  that  baptism  administered  by  a  Roman 
Catholic  priest  was  not  Christian  Baptism.  Dr.  Hodge 
always  lamented  this  as  a  great  blunder,  as  well  as  an  un- 
true decision  of  injurious  consequence.  In  his  article  on 
"  The  General  Assembly"  for  that  year,  and  in  his  article 
"Is  the  Church  of  Rome  part  of  the  visible  Church?'* 
published  April,  1846,  he  vigorously  combated  that  de- 
cision. He  held  that  the  papacy,  the  institution,  not  the 
person,  is  anti-Christ,*  and  that  the  order  and  teaching  of 
the  Romish  Church  is  in  many  respects  corrupted  and 
overlaid  by  false  and  soul-destroying  abuses  and  errors. 
Yet  he  held  and  believed  that  he  proved  (i)  that  the  great 
body  of  people  constituting  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  do 
profess  the  essentials  of  the  true  Christian  religion,  whereby 
many  of  them  bear  the  image  of  Christ,  and  are  participants 
of  His  salvation.  (2)  Hence  that  that  community,  how- 
ever corrupt  is  a  part  of  the  visible  Church  on  earth,  the 
field  with  the  wheat  mixed  with  tares.  (3)  That  the 
essentials  as  to  "  matter"  and  "  form  "  of  Christian  Baptism 
are  observed  by  the  Catholic  Priest,  when  he  administers 
that  sacrament.  (4)  And  hence  it  was  to  be  recognized  by 

*  Systematic  Theology,  Vol.  iii.  pp.  812-823.. 


^ET.  48.]  ROMISH  BAPTISM.  341 

all  loyal  to  the  great  Head  of  the  whole  Church  as  Chris- 
tian Baptism.  (5)  That  the  Reformers  and  great  Protestant 
theologians  had  universally  and  uniformly  held  and  prac- 
tically recognized  Romish  Baptism  to  be  Christian  Baptism, 
irregular  and  deformed  by  superstitions,  but  still  valid. 
(6)  That  this  truly  Protestant  position  had  been  held  by 
the  great  body  of  the  Protestant  Churches  to  the  present 
time. 

He  was  the  author  of  the  Answer  to  the  invitation  ad- 
dressed by  Pius  IX.,  in  his  Encyclical  to  all  Protestants 
"  to  return  to  the  one  only  fold,"  on  the  occasion  of  the 
Ecumenical  Council  of  the  Vatican,  held  in  Rome,  1869— 
70.  This  response,  signed  officially  by  Drs.  M.  W.  Jacobus 
and  P.  H.  Fowler,  the  Moderators  of  the  two  General  As- 
semblies of  1869,  was  certainly  surpassed  as  to  lofty  dignity, 
knowledge,  charity,  steadfast  and  ecumenical  orthodoxy, 
and  power  by  none,  and  equaled  by  very  few  of  the  many 
answers  on  that  occasion  addressed  by  Protestants  to  the 
Head  of  the  Catholic  world. 

On  the  occasion  of  writing  this  address  to  the  Pope  he 
received  the  following  letter  from  Dr.  William  Adams,  now 
President  of  Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York : 

DR.    WM.    ADAMS   TO    DR.    HODGE. 

NEW  YORK,  June  i7th,  1869. 

My  Dear  Dr.  Hodge : — I  have  received  from  Dr.  Musgrave  the 
manuscript  of  your  reply  to  the  Pope.  It  is  admirable  every  ivay.  I 
see  not  how  it  could  be  improved.  You  were  right  in  judging  that 
objurgation  was  impertinent  to  the  occasion.  Every  thing  is  put  in 
the  simple,  pointed,  dignified  manner  becoming  a  Christian  scholar 
and  theologian. 

You  may  be  sure  that  you  have  done  an  excellent  service  in  con- 
senting to  prepare  this  paper.     It  will   do  good  at   home,  in  other 
churches  besides  that  of  Rome,  and  I  beg  you  to  accept  my  sincere 
thanks  as  one  of  the  Nominating  Committee.  ****** 
With  cordial  esteem, 

Your  friend  and  brother, 

WILLIAM  ADAMS. 


342  ROMISH  BAPTISM.  [1846. 

In  August,  1872,  he  was  asked  by  letter  his  opinion  as  to 
the  propriety  of  granting  tracts  of  land  along  a  railroad  for 
the  purpose  of  building  Roman  Catholic  churches.  He 
answered :  "  Others  say  that  inasmuch  as  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church  teaches  truth  enough  to  save  the  souls  of  men 
(of  which  I  have  no  doubt) ;  inasmuch  as  it  proclaims  the 
divine  authority  of  the  Scriptures,  the  obligation  of  the 
decalogue,  and  the  retributions  of  eternity ;  and  inasmuch 
as  it  calls  upon  men  to  worship  God  the  Father,  Son  and 
Spirit,  it  is  unspeakably  better  than  no  church  at  all.  And_, 
therefore,  when  the  choice  is  between  that  and  none,  it  is 
wise  and  right  to  encourage  the  establishment  of  churches 
under  the  control  of  Catholic  priests.  For  myself,  I  take 
this  view.  The  principle  cannot  be  carried  out  that  no 
church  is  to  be  encouraged  which  teaches  error."* 

He  closes  his  argument  in  the  Princeton  Review,  April, 
1846 :  "  It  is  said  we  give  up  too  much  to  the  Papists  if  we 
admit  Romanists  to  be  in  the  church.  To  this  we  answer 
— Every  false  position  is  a  weak  position.  The  cause 
of  truth  suffers  in  no  way  more  than  from  identifying  it 
with  error,  which  is  always  done  when  its  friends  advocate 
it  on  false  principles.  When  one  says  we  favor  intemper- 
ance unless  we  say  that  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors 
is  sinful ;  another,  that  we  favor  slavery  unless  we  say 
slave-holding  is  a  sin ;  and  a  third,  that  we  favor  Popery 
unless  we  say  the  Church  of  Rome  is  no  church,  they  all, 
as  it  seems  to  us,  make  the  same  mistake  ancl  greatly  injure 
the  cause  in  which  they  are  engaged.  They  give  the  adver- 
sary an  advantage  over  them,  and  they  fail  to  enlist  the 
strength  of  their  own  side.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  sup- 
pose that  Popery  is  aided  by  admitting  what  truth  it  does 
include.  What  gives  it  its  power,  what  constitutes  its  pecu- 
liarly dangerous  character,  is  that  it  is  not  pure  infidelity,  it 
is  not  the  entire  rejection  of  the  gospel,  but  truth  sur- 
rounded by  enticing  and  destructive  error." 

*  Presbyterian,  August  loth,  1872. 


MT.  48.]  MODERA  TOR.  343 

There  is  no  more  characteristic  passage  to  be  found  in 
his  whole  writings.  And  in  these  opinions  he  agreed  with 
all  his  brethren  in  Princeton,  with  the  Reformers,  the  great 
theologians  of  the  past  and  the  Scotch  theologians  of  to- 
day. 

MODERATOR   OF   THE    GENERAL   ASSEMBLY. 

He  was  a  member  for  the  first  time  of  the  General  As- 
sembly of  1842,  having  been  hitherto  prevented  from  attend- 
ing by  his  lameness.  He  was  again  sent  as  a  delegate  to 
the  General  Assembly  which  met  in  the  loth  Presbyterian 
Church,  Philadelphia,  May,  1846,  when  he  was  elected 
Moderator.  He  attended  as  a  commissioner  the  next  As- 
sembly in  Richmond,  May,  1847,  and  opened  its  sessions 
with  a  sermon  in  which  he  advocated  the  erection  of  a 
Board  of  Sustentation  for  the  more  uniform  and  systematic 
support  of  the  clergy. 

HIS  LETTERS   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

LHis  letters  to  his  brother  during  this  period,  from  1840 
to  1851,  continued  frequent  and  regular,  and  were  filled 
with  all  the  details  of  family  life.  All  he  thinks  and  feels, 
all  his  anxieties  with  respect  to  his  children  or  the  church 
or  the  country,  all  the  symptoms  of  the  children's  suc- 
cessive sicknesses,  all  the  events  which  marked  the  stages 
of  their  mental  or  physical  growth  are  minutely  recorded. 

TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  March  13,  1840. 

My  Dear  Brother  : — My  remark  about  my  horrible  poverty,  in  my 
last,  was  not  intended  as  a  hint.  When  very  bad  off,  I  shall  go  be- 
yond hinting.  'It  is  true,  I  had  not  a  cent  in  the  world,  nor  have  had 
for  some  time^i  But  then  here  is  the  Bank ;  and  what  is  a  Bank 
worth  but  to  let  people  overdraw  ?  Ours  is  good-natured  enough  to 
let  us  suck  out  fives  and  tens  through  a  straw ;  a  check  for  a  hundred 
or  two  they  might  endorse  "  No  Funds  ! " — but  they  would  hardly  in- 
sult a  gentleman  for  five  dollars.  Still,  this  is  ugly  business,  and  I 
feel  much  better  since  I  received  your  hundred  dollars,  for  which, 


344         CORRESPONDENCE   WITH  HIS  BROTHER.    [1840-51. 

therefore,  I  am  much  obliged  to  you.  I  will  give  you  an  order  on  my 
publisher  for  payment.  You  surely  need  not  open  your  eyes  at  a 
poor  author ;  for  when  was  an  author  otherwise  than  poor,  unless  he 

wrote  novels. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

TO  THE  SAME. 

PRINCETON,  April  28,  1840. 

M —  (a  daughter  visiting  her  uncle)  tells  me  that  you  laughed 
much  at  my  sending  her  two  dollars.  I  can  remember  the  time,  old 
fellow,  when  the  sight  of  two  dollars  would  have  made  you  laugh 
with  a  very  different  emotion.  You  do  not  know  what  it  is  to  be  a 
Presbyterian  Abbe,  with  seven  children.  Only  think  of  seven 
mouths,  seven  pair  of  feet,  seven  empty  heads,  and  worse  than  all 
seven  pairs  of  knees  and  elbows.  Don't  take  this  for  a  begging  let- 
ter ;  for  Friday  is  the  first  of  May,  when  I  expect  to  be  as  rich  as 

Croesus  for  a  week. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 

TO    THE    SAME. 

PRINCETON,  June  18,  1841. 

My  Dear  Brother: — [The  conduct  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
in  Washington,  is  enough  to  put  one  out  of  conceit  with  Republican- 
ism. The  Southern  members  act  like  a  set  of  big  boys,  and  the 
Northern  ones  are  just  as  foolish.  The  fuss  they  make  about  the 
right  of  petition  is  just  as  unreasonable  as  the  commotion  about  abo- 
lition. It  has  always,  however,  been  so.  Commotion,  noise,  non- 
sense, and  at  times  violence  are  the  price  of  liberty,  and  on  the 
whole  are  better  than  the  stagnation  of  despotism?]  Wise  is  the  beau 
ideal  of  Southern  gasconade. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 

TO    THE   SAME. 

PRINCETON,  Sept.  17,  1841. 

My  Dear  Brother: — I  thank  you  for  sending  the  papers  at  this  un- 
precedented crisis  in  our  affairs.  It  seems  to  me  there  can  be  but 
one  opinion  either  as  to  the  President's  conduct,  or  as  to  the  duty  of 
the  Whigs.  Mr.  Ewing's  letter  contains  irresistible  evidence  of  its 
truth,  and  is  confirmed  by  all  kinds  of  collateral  evidence.  Assum- 
ing the  truth  of  its  statements,|^Jr.  Tyler  is  not  only  a  weak,  but  a 
dishonorable  and  dishonest  man.]  Now  that  this  humiliating  fact  has 
been  disclosed,  people  begin  tolook  at  his  past  history.  And  the 


^ET.  43-1     CORRESPONDENCE   WITH  HIS  BROTHER.          345 

singular  fact,  which  had  escaped  notice,  that  not  one  of  the  Virginia 
delegates  at  the  Harrisburg  Convention  voted  for  his  nomination  to 
the  Vice-Presidency  shows  that  they  knew  more  about  him  than 
others  did.  Still,  it  is  probable  that  it  was  not  until  his  head  was 
turned  by  his  being  made  President  that  his  principles  were  found  to 
be  too  weak  to  stand  the  temptations  of  that  exalted  station.  Dr. 
Benjamin  Rice  told  me  that  he  remembers  when  he  (Tyler)  became 
Governor  of  Virginia,  people  lifted  up  their  hands  and  said  "  Think 
of  John  Tyler  being  Governor  of  Virginia  !  "  His  messages,  espe- 
cially the  first  veto,  show  him  to  be  a  man  of  inferior  mind,  and  his 
conduct  to  his  Cabinet  and  his  party  show  him  to  be  mean  and  dis- 
honest. 

[it  seems  to  me  that  if  the  Whigs  would  only  act  on  moral  instead 
of  party  principles,  it  would  be  a  great  blessing  to  the  country  and 
the  best  course  for  themselves.]  Let  them  give  the  President  a  fair 
hearing  and  every  opportunity  of  clearing  himself  from  the  over- 
whelming charges  of  Mr.  Ewing.  If  he  can  do  it,  then  all  is  well. 
If  he  cannot,  then  let  them  say  to  him,  "We  are  done  with  you. 
Not  one  of  our  party  will  accept  or  retain  office  under  you.  We  will 
do  what  we  can  for  the  country,  but  we  will  not  condescend  to  serve 
under  you."  If  the  other  party  would  pick  him  out  of  the  gutter 
let  them  do  it.  But  I  do  not  believe  they  would.  On  the  con- 
trary, I  believe  he  would  be  forced  to  resign  in  less  than  six  months. 

Thinking  that  this  is  the  plain  course  of  duty,  I  feel  greatly  morti- 
fied at  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Webster.  I  am  glad  he  retains  his  place 
for  the  time  being,  but  his  reasons  for  doing  so  condemn  him.  His 
saying  that  there  was  no  sufficient  reason  for  the  resignation  of  the 
Cabinet,  and  by  implication  that  his  colleagues  did  wrong  in  giving 
up  their  places,  shows  that  his  state  of  mind  on  the  whole  subject  is 
entirely  different  from  that  of  his  friends.  I  have  sufficient  con- 
fidence in  the  moral  feelings  of  the  community  to  be  confident 
that  if  Mr.  Webster  joins  himself  with  Tyler  he  will  sink  with  him. 
The  load  of  infamy  which  attaches  to  the  latter  is  enough  to  weigh 
down  all  that  associate  themselves  with  his  fortunes.  I  cannot  have 
any  respect  for  any  man  who  accepts  a  place  in  the  new  Cabinet ; 
and  shall  be  astonished  if  Mr.  Legare  or  Judge  Maclean  accept  their 
appointments. 

As  to  the  charge  against  Mr.  Ewing,  of  revealing  Cabinet  secrets, 
it  seems  to  me  to  be  entirely  unfounded.  The  obligation  to  secrecy 
cannot  extend  to  all  cases.  It  is  limited  by  the  nature  of  the  object 
for  which  that  secrecy  is  enjoined.  If  a  President  should  be  plotting 
treason,  his  Cabinet  are  bound  to  disclose  it.  And  if  it  is  necessary 
to  the  vindication  of  the  character  of  a  Minister  to  relate  what  passed 


346          CORRESPONDENCE    WITH  HIS  BROTHER         [1844. 

in  the  Cabinet,  I  am  not  sure  that  he  has  not  a  right  to  do  it.  But 
Mr.  Ewing  does  not  need  the  advantage  of  either  of  these  grounds 
of  defence.  Mr.  Tyler  commissioned  him  and  Mr.  Webster  to  com- 
municate his  views  to  Mr.  Sergeant,  and  to  Mr.  Berrien  and  others. 
Mr.  Ewing,  therefore,  has  revealed  no  secret ;  the  main  facts  were 
communicated  by  the  President's  message.  This  seems  to  be  a  full 
vindication,  without  resorting  to  the  example  of  the  President 
himself,  through  whom  Cabinet  secrets  are  said  to  have  found 
their  way  to  Bennett's  Herald !  Taking  it  altogether,  the  whole 
affair  is  the  most  extraordinary  event  in  our  history,  and  the  issue,  I 
fear,  depends  very  much  on  Webster.  If  he  separates  himself  from 
the  Whigs,  who  will  and  ought  to  repudiate  the  President,  on 
him  will  rest  the  responsibility  of  the  schism  in  the  Whig  party. 
And  the  result  will  probably  be  defeat  to  them  with  certain  dis- 
appointment and  disgrace  to  him. 

^Here  is  a  letter  of  real  politics,  which,  when  connected  with  morals 
and  the  character  and  interests  of  the  country,  is  a  subject  second 
only  to  religion  in  importance77 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 

TO   THE    SAME. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  15,  1844. 

My  Dear  Brother : — You  ask  me  for  a  dish  of  politics.  I  could 
only  give  you  a  plate  of  picked  bones.  [The  Whig  party  seems  to 
have  made  a  great  mistake  ;  either  they  have  not  patriotism  enough 
to  give  up  personal  objects  for  the  general  good,  or,  what  is  probably 
the  case,  they  have  not  been  able  to  identify  themselves  with  the 
masses.  In  this  country  the  Democratic  party  must  always  be  the 
strongest,  and  it  is  only  on  extraordinary  occasions,  and  for  a  short 
period,  that  the  Whig,  the  Conservative,  the  Federal,  or  by  whatever 
name  the  mass  of  the  intelligence  and  property  of  the  country  may 
be  called,  can  get  the  upper  han d/*  Such  an  occasion  occurred 
in  1840.  The  fruits  of  that  triumph  were  lost  mainly  by  the  treachery 
of  Tyler,  partly  by  the  passion  and  selfishness  of  the  Whigs.  I  am 
afraid,  when  they  found  that  Tyler  was  unfaithful,  they  determined 
to  make  his  administration  as  unpopular  and  as  disastrous  as  possi- 
ble. If  the  country,  at  the  end  of  his  term,  is  prosperous,  there  will 
be  no  crying  necessity  for  a  change  of  policy,  and  for  Mr.  Clay ;  but 
it  everything  is  going  to  ruin,  as  under  Van  Buren,  then  a  change 
will  be  demanded.  I  fear  this  is  the  ground  of  their  opposition  to 
the  Tariff,  which  passed  by  a  bare  majority,  and  especially  of  their 
refusal  to  adopt  the  exchequer  bill  of  Tyler  (i.  <?.,  of  Webster). 
It  seems  evident  that  an  addition  of  $15,000,000  to  our  currency,  in 


.  46.]      CORRESPONDENCE   WITH  HIS  BROTHER. 


347 


the  form  of  paper  of  equal  value  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  would 
be  an  inestimable  benefit.  But  the  Whigs  refuse,  and  by  doing  so 
will  break  their  own  heads. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 


TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  March  26,  1844. 

My  Dear  Brother : — The  papers  make  a  great  stir  about  Texas.  I 
cannot  believe  it  is  possible  to  get  two-thirds  of  the  Senate  to  vote  for 
the  annexation.  Should  such  a  thing  happen,  it  would  be  a  great 
crime  and  a  great  calamity  ;  but  I  think  the  North  ought  to  submit. 
We  have  agreed  that  any  treaty  made  by  two-thirds  of  the  Senate 
shall  be  the  law  of  the  land,  and  we  ought  to  abide  by  the  contract. 
After  the  annexation  of  Louisiana  and  Florida,  the  constitutional 
question  must  be  considered  fixed.  The  cases  are  not  alike ;  but 
they  are  not  essentially  different. 

I  rejoice  greatly  that  O'Connell  has  been  convicted.  If  the  law  and 
justice  would  fully  sustain  the  sentence,  I  think  it  would  be  a  great 
good  to  give  him  a  life  estate  in  Australia. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

TO    THE    SAME. 

PRINCETON,  April  4,  1844. 

My  Dear  Brother : — There  is,  financially  speaking,  always  a  shal- 
low spot  with  me  during  the  month  of  April.  If  my  salary  is  paid,  I 
can  generally  get  over  it ;  if  it  is  not,  I  am  very  apt  to  stick  fast.  As 
not  the  half  of  the  salary  due  the  ist  of  February  last  has  been  paid, 
I  am  in  the  latter  predicament  just  now.  I  must  either  submit  to  the 
mortification  of  begging  time — &c.,  or  to  that  of  borrowing  from 
you.  The  latter,  though  something,  is  much  the  less  trial  of  the  two. 

I  have  yet  to  learn  the  art  of  paying  without  being  paid.  All  this 
is  a  prelude  to  my  saying  that  I  wish  you  to  lend  me  a  coupla 
of  hundred  dollars,  or  one,  if  convenient.  If  you  have  it  not 
on  hand,  say  so.  For  it  is  not  a  case  of  necessity,  but  of  feeling.  I 
must  pay  certain  calls  which  have  already  come  in  ;  but  I  can,  on  an 
emergency,  get  the  money  from  the  Bank,  but  that  I,  of  course,  do 
not  like. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 


348          CORRESPONDENCE   WITH  HIS  BROTHER.         [1844. 

TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  April  22d,  1844. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  told  you  some  time  ago,  in  reply  to  what 
you  said  about  Mr.  Barnes'  pamphlet — "  The  Position  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Party  in  the  Episcopal  Church," — that,  judging  from  the  ex- 
tracts which  I  had  seen,  I  disapproved  of  its  whole  design  and  ten- 
dency. Since  then  I  have  read  it,  and  my  first  impression  has  been 
confirmed.  [7  wrote  a  notice,  of  a  few  pages  length,  of  it  in  the  Re- 
pertory, which  has  the  full  concurrence  of  all  the  gentlemen  here, 
and  which  I  hope  you  will  read.  That  notice,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  has 
given  immeasurable  offence  to  the  ultra-Presbyterians  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  if  you  see  the  Presbyterian  you  will  see  two  columns  and  a 
half  of  a  reply  to  itTJ  I  am  very  sorry  for  this,  as  it  evinces  a  very 
unnatural  state  of  mind  in  the  Philadelphia  brethren.  What  the  no- 
tice says  they  would  all  have  said  six  months  ago.  And  if  a  man 
whose  feelings  are  so  strongly  Presbyterian  as  Dr.  Miller  approves 
of  it,  it  is  very  plain  that  it  is  only  a  morbid  state  of  mind  that  leads 
to  this  outcry.  Mr.  Hope,  poor  fellow,  has,  as  he  writes  me,  been  al- 
most persecuted  to  death  for  it  already. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 

TO   HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  May  28,  1844. 

My  Dear  Brother  : — I  have  just  been  reading  Bishop  Hughes' 
smart,  but  not  very  prelatical  letter  to  the  Mayor  of  New  York.  He 
confounds  two  very  different  things  :  opposition  to  foreigners,  as  for- 
eigners, governing  the  country,  and  opposition  to  Papists,  as  Papists. 
It  is  true  that  most  of  these  objectionable  foreigners  are  Papists,  but 
the  opposition  to  them  is  as  foreigners.  It  is  also  true  that  they  are 
mostly  Irish,  but  the  opposition  is  not  to  them  as  Irish.  I  think  this 
whole  struggle  will  do  good,  and  that  a  majority  of  all  parties  will 
soon  unite  in  calling  for  an  alteration  of  our  naturalization  laws. 
Bishop  Hughes  artfully  represents  the  American  party  as  leagued  to 
deny  liberty  of  conscience,  and  to  infringe  on  the  rights  of  a  particu- 
lar class  of  citizens.  J3ut  what  right  have  the  paupers  of  Europe  to 
be  citizens  of  America  ?  We  must  take  care  of  ourselves,  or  we  shall 
have  all  our  affairs  under  the  control  of  the  mob  of  foreigners  who 
swarm  our  cities} 

We  are  all  well  as  usual ;  nearly  through  the  pangs  of  house-clean- 
ing. It  is  with  difficulty  I  have  kept  the  invasion  of  tubs  and  buckets 

out  of  the  study. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 


^ET.  46.]    CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  BROTHER.  349 

TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  June  20,  1844. 

My  Dear  Brother  : — We  returned  day  before  yesterday  from  the 
North,  having  had  a  very  pleasant  journey  of  two  weeks  and  five 
days.  We  went  first  to  Newburgh,  where  we  spent  Saturday,  Sun- 
day and  part  of  Monday.  Thence  to  Netherwood  (the  residence  of 
James  Lenox,  Esq.,),  where  I  remained  till  Wednesday,  when  I  went 
to  Poughkeepsie  to  attend  the  Synod  (Dutch  Reformed),  as  a  dele- 
gate from  the  General  Assembly,  leaving  Sarah,  who  was  in  bed  with 
a  sick  head-ache.  At  the  close  of  the  week  I  returned  to  Nether- 
wood  and  remained  until  Tuesday,  and  then,  agreeably  to  an  invita- 
tion from  the  Rosevelts ,  took  Sarah  to  Poughkeepsie  and  spent  that 
day  there. 

The  country  up  the  North  river  greatly  exceeded  our  expectations, 
and  Sarah  was  greatly  delighted.  Newburgh  has  a  beautiful  situa- 
tion, and  the  views  in  the  neighborhood  are  extensive  and  pictu- 
resque in  a  high  degree.  Mr.  Lenox's  situation,  Netherwood,  is  very 
delightful  and  very  highly  improved.  He  is  a  man  of  very  uncom- 
mon taste.  His  brother-in-law  has  a  cottage  on  his  place ;  another 
brother-in-law,  Mr.  Sheefe,  owns  the  next  seat  up  the  river,  and  Mr. 
Sheefe's  mother  the  one  above  that.  The  four  families  are  so  near 
and  so  united  as  to  form  a  compact  society  for  themselves.  Pough- 
keepsie also  surpassed  our  expectations.  The  view  from  College 
Hill  is  one  of  the  finest  in  all  that  region  of  country. 

It  is  impossible  that  people  could  be  kinder  than  we  found  them 
everywhere,  at  Newburgh,  Netherwood,  Poughkeepsie,  Albany  and 
New  Haven.  Your  brother,  C.  H. 

TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  16,  1844. 

My  Dear  Brother  : — I  believe  that  we  have  not  exchanged  lamen- 
tations over  the  result  of  the  election.  I  feel  more  for  Mr.  Clay  than 
for  the  country.  For  I  presume  the  general  policy  of  the  Govern- 
ment will  be  substantially  the  same  under  Mr.  Polk.  [Mr.  Clay,  how- 
ever, has  finally  lost  the  great  object  of  his  natural  ambition,  and 
lost  it  by  the  votes  of  foreigners  and  Catholics,  aliens  and  enemies 
really  of  the  country.  Jn  New  York,  the  silly  Abolitionists  decided 
the  State,  and  that  again  decided  the  countryj  The  course  which 
Tyler  and  Calhoun  have  been  pursuing  is  so  extreme  that  I  hope  it 
will  lead  to  a  split  in  their  own  ranks  and  induce  the  Northern  and 
Western  Democrats  to  unite  in  putting  them  effectually  down. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 


350          CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  BROTHER.        [1847. 

TO   THE   SAME. 

PRINCETON,  April  17,  1846. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  felt  really  alarmed  at  the  speech  of  John 
Quincy  Adams  in  the  House,  declaring  his  opinion  not  only  that  our 
title  to  Oregon  was  good  to  54.40,  but  that  we  ought  not  to  compro- 
mise on  49.  Now,  as  he  and  every  President  since  Jefferson  has 
offered  that  compromise,  it  does  appear  to  me  a  piece  of  pure  wick- 
edness to  refuse  to  accept  that  offer  now ;  to  refuse  to  accede  to  our 
own  terms,  and  that  with  the  certainty  that  war  must  be  the  conse- 
quence of  such  refusal.  Great  Britain  has  not  the  power  to  give  up 
the  country  beyond  49.  The  public  sentiment  of  the  nation  and  of 
the  world  would  be  so  against  it  that  it  could  not  be  done,  any  more 
than  we  could  give  up  the  country  south  of  the  Columbia,  which 
England  has  offered  over  and  over  as  the  boundary.  I  greatly  fear 
that,  unless  Providence  over-rule  the  folly  of  our  rulers,  we  are  des- 
tined to  the  miseries  of  a  wicked  war. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

TO   THE    SAME. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  25,  1846. 

My  Dear  Brother: — Give  the  love  and  gratulations  appropriate  to 
this  season  from  all  our  circle  to  all  yours.  We  are  getting  to  be 
pretty  old  men,  though  we  do  not  know  it,  and,  I  suppose,  really  en- 
joy life  in  the  consciousness  of  useful  and  conscious  exertion  more 
than  when  we  were  younger.  The  kinds  and  sources  of  pleasure 
change  as  we  advance  in  life,  but  the  maturer  are  always  of  the 
higher  grade,  and  therefore  few  men  would  be  willing  to  go  back  and 
live  life  over  again ;  they  would  rather  live  onward  and  continue  to 
grow  in  knowledge  and  in  the  power  to  do  good.  It  is  a  great  thing 
to  be  content  to  be  less  than  others,  provided  we  do  our  best.  Self- 
depreciation  is  a  more  amiable,  but  scarcely  a  less  hurtful  failing  than 
self-exaltation,  or  rather  self-glorification. 

Your  brother  C.  H. 

TO   THE    SAME. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  29,  1847. 

My  Dear  Brother: — It  is  true,  I  am  fifty  years  old,  and  that  the 
meridian  of  life  is  past.  The  years  that  remain  must  be  few  and  less 
fitted  for  exertion  or  usefulness.  On  the  review  of  such  a  period,  a 
painful  feeling  of  having  accomplished  so  little,  of  having  acquired 
so  much  less  than  we  see  we  might  and  ought  to  have  done,  is,  per- 


WET.  49.]  CORRESPONDENCE.  351 

haps,  stronger  even  than  the  feeling  of  gratitude  for  all  the  goodness 
and  forbearance  of  God.  I  feel  that  almost  all  the  usefulness  of  my 
life  is  to  be  crowded  into  the  coming  ten  years,  should  I  live  so  long. 
If  I  am  to  accomplish  anything  it  must  be  within  that  period,  and  yet 
how  much  reason  is  there  to  fear  that,  should  they  be  granted,  they 
will  slip  by  much  as  any  preceding  ten  years  have  done. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 


FROM    PROFESSOR    BIGGS   TO    DR.    HODGE. 

CINCINNATI,  Jan.  7,  1847. 

My  Dear  Doctor  Charles : — You  had  almost  forgotten,  I  suppose, 
that  the  little  man  whom  you  first  knew  in  the  blue  frock  coat  in 
Nassau  Hall  is  still  among  the  living.  Once  in  a  while  I  hear  some-- 
thing of  your  own  dear  self,  and  then  I  feel  a  stirring  up  of  things 
of  bygone  days — such  as  watching  from  the  window  of  No.  18  your 
movement  down  the  campus,  cross  the  road  and  down  the  lane,  to 
the  white  house  with  the  little  white  fence  in  front,  opposite  to  which 
lived  the  far-famed  Sam  Plum.  Charley,  d'ye  mind  the  days  we 
spent  in  the  white  house  together  ?  (Mrs.  Bache's).  Oh  !  ho  !  what 
times  have  passed  o'er  us  since  then  !  But,  indeed,  they  have  been 
times  of  mercy,  such  as  my  most  sanguine  hopes  could  not  have  im- 
agined. Here  I  am  an  old  man,  grey-headed,  with  nose  spectacle 
bestrid,  and  a  house  full  of  men  and  women  children  !  What  is  still 
more  wonderful,  I  am  just  about  as  fit  for  service  as  ever.  *  *  *  * 

I  preach  in  the  vicinity  of  my  old  stamping  grounds,  Lane  Semi- 
nary, where  I  have  as  part  of  my  audience  some  of  the  students 
from  the  Seminary,  with  several  others  from  the  families  belonging 
to  the  Seminary  Church.  This  looks  a  little  like  bearding  the  lion 
in  his  own  den.  It  is  rather  amusing  as  I  pass  out  on  Sabbath 
morning  from  the  city  to  meet  Dr.  Beecher  coming  in  to  supply  the 
"  ist  Orthodox  Congregational  Society  of  Cincinnati,"  and  some- 
times Prof.  Stowe. 

You  remember  our  old  redoubtable  Vice-President  Slack  !  I  have 
the  felicity  of  seeing  his  ex-ship  quite  often.  He  has  what  he  calls 
his  Gothic  mansion  on  one  of  the  most  elevated  points  about  our 
city,  very  conspicuous  indeed,  most  romantically  difficult  of  access. 
He  is  pretty  much  after  the  old  stamp,  except  as  time  has  corrugated 
his  squatty  face.  He  sojourns  on  the  heights  in  elevated  retirement. 
He  is  a  good  old  man,  nevertheless,  and  loves  to  recount  his  Prince- 
ton glories. 

Our  old   friend,  Wm.   M.   Atkinson,    spent   a   few  days   with   us 


352  DR.  WILLIAM  CUNNINGHAM.  [1844. 

recently.     We  had  quite  a  refreshing  time  of  it.     He  is  a  huge  body 
of  divinity,  beats  me  some  twenty  or  thirty  pounds. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

THOS.  J.  BIGGS. 

Bishop  Johns  wrote  to  "  Charley  "  about  the  same  time : 
"  Biggs — Thomas  J. ! !  What  would  I  not  give  to  have 
you  both  here  at  once !  But  I  suppose  that  is  out  of  the 
question."  And  again,  in  April  of  the  next  year,  he 
writes  :  "  I  received  a  full  and  affectionate  letter  from  Biggs. 
I  am  afraid  he  will  not  live  long.  This  sudden  revival 
of  early  feeling  is  ominous." 

FRIENDSHIP   AND    CORRESPONDENCE   WITH    DR.    WILLIAM 
CUNNINGHAM. 

In  December,  1843,  Doctor  Hodge  formed  one  of  the 
most  signal  friendships  of  his  life.  The  Rev.  William  Cun- 
ningham, D.  D.,  afterwards  Principal  of  the  New  College, 
Edinburgh,  visited  America  at  the  head  of  a  delegation  of 
the  Free  Church  of  Scotland.  He  was  then  thirty-eight 
years  of  age,  at  the  fullness  of  all  his  powers,  recognized 
everywhere  as  beyond  question  the  greatest  logician,  po- 
lemic and  theologian  among  the  leaders  of  the  second 
heroic  age  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  Scotland.  He  always 
recognized  Charles  Hodge,  then  just  forty-six  years  old,  as 
occupying  precisely  that  position  in  the  American  Presby- 
terian Church  of  this  age.  The  meeting  and  the  rapid 
friendship  generated  between  two  men  having  so  much  in 
common,  meeting  for  the  first  time  and  for  a  brief  season, 
was  very  beautiful  to  witness  and  very  memorable.  A 
Princeton  witness  of  that  first  meeting,  quoted  by  Dr. 
Rainy  in  his  life  of  Cunningham,  wrote  at  the  time  :  "  You 
know  Brother  Hodge  is  one  of  the  most  reserved  of  men, 
nor  is  a  first  acquaintance  with  him  generally  very  assuring 
or  attractive  to  strangers.  But  I  remarked  with  what 
warmth  and  cordiality  he  met  Dr.  Cunningham,  as  if  he  had 
met  an  old  friend  from  whom  he  had  been  long  separated. 


JET.  46.]  DR.   WILLIAM  CUNNINGHAM. 

And  it  was  so  with  Cunningham,  too.  The  two  greatest 
theologians  of  the  age  were  at  once  friends  and  brothers. 
They  seemed  at  once  to  read  and  know  each  the  other's 
great  and  noble  mind." 

After  Dr.  Cunningham's  lamented  death,  just  eighteen 
years  afterwards,  Dr.  Hodge  wrote  as  follows :  "  He  was 
twice  (it  was  really  three  times)  at  Princeton,  and  on  both 
occasions  made  my  house  his  home.  He  was  a  man  you 
knew  well  as  soon,  as  you  knew  him  at  all.  He  revealed 
himself  at  once,  and  secured  at  once  the  confidence  and 
love  of  those  in  whom  he  felt  confidence.  I  do  not  recol- 
lect of  ever  having  met  any  one  to  whom  I  was  so  much 
drawn,  and  for  whom  I  entertained  so  high  a  respect  and  so 
warm  a  regard  as  I  did  for  him,  on  such  a  short  acquaint- 
ance. .  .  His  visit  was  one  of  those  sunny  spots  on  which, 
whenever  I  look  back  on  my  life,  my  eyes  rest  with  de- 
light." 

Dr.  Cunningham  wrote  to  his  wife  at  this  time  :  "As  I 
have  not  much  public  business  till  next  week  I  have  come 
out  to  spend  a  few  days  in  Princeton.  I  have  had  great 
pleasure  in  the  society  of  the  theological  professors  here, 
who  are  all  men  eminent  for  their  talents  and  learning,  and 
are  known  in  Britain  by  their  writings.  I  am  staying  with 
Dr.  Hodge,  a  very  admirable  and  interesting  man,  whose 
[wife  is  a  great  grand-daughter  of  Dr.  Franklin.":  The 
compiler  of  these  Memoirs  was  repeatedly  assured  in  Scot- 
land that  his  father's  pre-eminent  position  in  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Churches  dates  from 
the  period  of  Dr.  Cunningham's  return  from  his  visit  to 
America,  and  that  it  was  characteristic  of  Dr.  C.  to  give  free 
expression  to  his  high  estimate  of  him  as  a  man  and  a  theo- 
logian. Dr.  Rainy  affirms  in  his  "  Life  of  William  Cunning- 
ham, D.  D.,"  p.  462,  that  the  great  Scotchman  "felt  for  Dr. 
Hodge,  of  Princeton,  a  very  great  regard  as  a  man,  and  in 
his  theological  opinions  generally  a  greater  confidence  than 
in  those  of  any  (other)  divine  now  living." 
23 


354  DR-   WILLIAM  CUNNINGHAM.  [1844. 

I  can  well  remember  those  memorable  days,  the  pleased 
excitement  of  our  father,  as  he  lay  back  upon  his  easy  chair 
listening  to  Dr.  Cunningham  as  he  strode  gesticulating 
through  the  study  with  his  long  arms  laying  down  the 
principles  and  narrating  the  story  of  the  great  Free-Church  A J 
Exodusjor  when  our  father  walked  with  him  in  the  larger 
parlor,  or  once  or  twice,  when  the  February  sun  shone  clear 
in  the  paths  around  the  house,  laying  down  the  principles 
and  narrating  the  story  of  the  igreat  controversies,  as  to 
slavery,  New  England  theology  and  voluntary  societies^  in 
which  his  own  part  had  been  not  insignificant. 

DR.  HODGE  TO  DR.  CUNNINGHAM. 

PRINCETON,  March  2ist,  1844. 

....  Dr.  Burns  preached  a  delightful  sermon  in  our  chapel  last 
evening.  I  believe  we  are  all  disposed  to  let  him  abuse  us  and  our 
domestic  institutions  as  much  as  he  pleases,  if  he  will  only  preach  the 
gospel  as  purely  and  spiritually  as  he  did  last  night. 

I  cherish  the  recollections  of  your  visit  with  great  pleasure  and  feel 
an  interest  in  your  success  and  welfare  which  is  constantly  increasing 
as  my  knowledge  of  you  and  your  cause  increases. 

I  should  be  much  gratified  to  hear  from  you  at  any  time.  As  Dr. 
Miller  has  insisted  on  your  going  to  his  house  when  you  again  visit 
Princeton,  I  feel  at  liberty  to  beg  that  you  will  send  to  me  any  of  your 
brethren  who  may  join  your  deputation,  should  they  come  thus  far 

south. 

With  great  affection  and  respect, 

Your  friend  and  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE   TO   DR.    CUNNINGHAM. 

PRINCETON,  March  30,  1844. 

My  Dear  Sir: — We  have  had  500  extra  copies  of  the  article  on 
"  The  Claims  of  the  Free  Church"  struck  off.  I  send  you  a  copy  by 
this  mail.  If,  after  reading  it,  you  think  it  likely  to  be  useful,  I  will 
place  at  your  disposal  any  portion  of  the  500  you  wish.  I  can  send 
them  to  Mr.  Carter  in  New  York,  to  abide  your  order. 

I  was  greatly  interested  in  the  copies  of  the  Witness  which  you  left 
with  me.  I  think  he  has  most  effectually  answered  the  Record,  and 
1  regret  that  we  were  misled  into  saying  what  we  did  in  our  January 


&T.  46.]  CORRESPONDENCE.  355 

number  by  the  last  named  paper.  Professor  A.  Alexander  wishes  me 
to  subscribe  to  the  Witness,  and  begs  me  to  inquire  of  you  how  pay- 
ment for  it  can  most  conveniently  be  made.  Is  there  anybody  in  this 
country  authorized  to  receive  payment  on  its  behalf,  and  who  would 
order  it  for  him  ? 

I  should  be  very  glad  to  hear  from  you  and  learn  how  you  get 
along  among  the  "Yankees."  I  do  not  use  the  word  in  Mrs. 
Hodge's  sense  of  the  term.  I  know  if  they  get  their  eyes  open  they 
will  put  us  Old  School  Presbyterians  to  shame.  I  sincerely  hope  they 
may. 

The  whole  family  join  in  the  assurance  of  kind  remembrance. 
Affectionately  and  respectfully, 

C.  HODGE. 

DR.    CUNNINGHAM   TO   DR.    HODGE. 

BOSTON,  9th  April,  1844. 

My  Dear  Sir : — I  have  received  your  two  letters,  and  am  much 
obliged  to  you  for  the  accompanying  papers.  I  am  grieved  to  be 
under  the  necessity  of  informing  you  that,  in  consequence  of  letters 
which  I  received  from  Scotland  by  the  last  steamer,  urging  me  most 
strenuously  to  be  present  at  our  own  General  Assembly^  I  have. felt  it 
to  be  my  duty  to  resolve  on  leaving  this  country  on  the  ist  of  May, 
and  that,  of  course,  I  must  leave  Dr.  Burns  to  go  to  Canada  alone, 
and  Mr.  Lewis  and  Mr.  Chalmers  to  attend  your  General  Assembly. 
I  greatly  fear  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  visit  Princeton  again.  I  in- 
tend to  visit  New  Haven  or  Hartford  on  Sabbath  next,  Albany  on  the 
2 ist,  then  make  a  run  to  Niagara,  get  to  New  York  on  Saturday  the 
27th,  and  leave  it  for  Boston  on  the  29th.  So  far  as  my  own  personal 
feelings  and  inclinations  are  concerned  I  would  have  been  most  happy 
to  have  spent  two  months  more  in  this  country,  where  I  have  been 
received  with  so  much  kindness  and  seen  so  much  to  interest  and  to 
gratify.  I  felt  quite  dull  the  other  day  after  having  taken  my  berth 
in  the  steamer,  although  I  was  going  home.  I  will  not  soon  forget  the 
kindness  I  have  received  and  the  gratification  I  have  experienced  ; 
and  the  time  I  have  spent  in  your  society  at  Princeton  will  always 
occupy  a  prominent  place  in  my  recollection  of  America. 

I  will  henceforth  consider  myself  entitled  to  call  you  my  friend,  and 
will  be  most  happy  to  have  occasional  correspondence  with  you.  I 
will  consider  it  my  duty  to  begin  this  correspondence  and  write  to 
you  soon  after  reaching  home.  I  have  read  with  great  pleasure  your 
article  for  the  Repertory,  and  would  like  very  much  to  see  it  circu- 
lated for  the  benefit  of  our  cause.  I  would  like  very  much  to  have  a 


356  CORRESPONDENCE.  [  1 844. 

parcel  of  the  articles  addressed  to  me  at  Albany,  to  the  care  of  Dr. 
Sprague.  and  I  would  like  to  have  st>me  of  them  to  take  home  with 
me,  as  I  am  sure  they  will  be  read  with  great  interest  by  my  brethren. 
I  fear  that  in  other  respects  I  must  request  you  to  take  the  trouble  of 
disposing  of  them  in  the  way  you  yourself  may  think  best  fitted  to  ' 
promote  the  object  in  view,  except  I  would  like  a  small  parcel  of  them 
addressed  to  Mr.  Chalmers,  care  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Blagden,  Old  South 
Church,  Boston. 

The  cause  has  been  taken  up  cordially  here  by  the  Congregation- 
alists  and  the  Baptists.  I  don't  know  what  may  be  the  result  in  a 
pecuniary  point  of  view,  but  as  I  have  not  heard  of  any  very  large 
subscriptions  from  individuals,  I  fear  the  sum  total  will  not  come  to  a 
great  deal. 

Give  kindest  regards  to  Mrs.  Hodge  and  all  the  members  of  your 
family,  to  Dr.  Miller,  to  Dr.  Alexander  and  his  sons,  and  believe  me, 
my  dear  sir,  Very  sincerely  yours, 

WM.  CUNNINGHAM. 

In  order  that  the  allusions  to  the  Abolitionists  in  this 
correspondence  may  be  understood,  it  must  be  recollected 
that  Dr.  Hodge  and  the  great  mass  of  the  American  Christ- 
ians with  whom  Dr.  Cunningham  came  in  contact,  were  not 
pro-slavery  men,  "but  held,  as  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckinridge  told 
Dr.  Cunningham  in  a  letter,  dated  Nov.,  1844:  "(i)  That 
slavery  is  a  great  evil,  and  ought  to  be  somehow  and  some- 
time brought  to  an  end.  (2)  That  it  is  not  a  sin,  in  the 
proper  sense  of  the  word,  and,  therefore,  cannot  be  a  proper 
ground  of  expulsion  from  the  Church."  "  On  the  other 
hand,"  says  Dr.  Rainy,  in  his  '  Life  of  Wm.  Cunningham,' 
p.  221,  "  some  of  the  American  Abolitionists  ('  technically  so 
called/  as  Dr.  Breckinridge  says,)  seeing  some  likelihood 
of  troubled  waters,  came  across  to  fish  in  them.  That  party 
included,  as  is  very  well  known,  a  number  of  persons  who 
were  not  particular  in  their  choice  of  weapons.  They  villi- 
fied  the  Free  Church  as. associating  with  slave-holders  for 
the  sake  of  pecuniary  gain,  and  raised  the  cry  of  '  Send 
back  the  money.'  As  their  antecedents  became  known  and 
their  methods  of  warfare  observed,  they  lost  their  influence 
and  vanished  again." 


VET.  46.]  CORRESPONDENCE.  357 

DR.  CUNNINGHAM  TO  DR.  HODGE. 

EDINBURGH,  i5th  of  July,  1844. 

My  Dear  Sir:— I  arrived  safely  in  Edinburgh  on  the  i6th  of  May 
and  found  my  wife  and  children  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health, 
and  the  affairs  of  the  Free  Church  in  a  very  flourishing  condition. 
We  have  had  a  very  interesting  and  gratifying  meeting  of  the  Assem- 
bly. We  are  now  delivered  wholly  from  the  unpleasant  contentions 
with  unchristian  men,  in  which  we  had  been  so  long  engaged,  and 
are,  I  think  I  may  say,  devoting  ourselves  with  united  energy  and 
zeal  to  the  improvement  of  the  important  facilities  for  the  promotion 
of  true  religion,  with  which  in  providence  we  are  favored. 

I  regretted  that  I  had  not  an  opportunity  of  revising  the  Witness' 
report  of  the  statement  I  made  about  my  visit  to  America.  Report- 
ing here  is  not  nearly  so  perfect  as  in  London,  and  the  report  of  what 
I  said  is  neither  very  accurate  nor  complete. 

I  succeeded  in  preventing  our  Assembly  from  doing  anything  on 
the  subject  of  slavery,  except  appointing  a  committee  to  consider  it, 
and  I  shall  do  what  I  can  to  get  them  to  do  as  little  as  possible.  I 
suppose  I  must  submit  to  being  branded  by  the  Abolitionists  as  hav- 
ing been  corrupted  by  the  money  and  hospitality  of  slave-holders. 

I  most  earnestly  wish,  however,  that  the  churches  of  the  United 
States  could  be  stirred  up  to  do  something  more  than  they  have  been 
doing  of  late  years  in  regard  to  slavery,  at  least  to  the  extent  of  seek- 
ing the  abolition  of  what  all  condemn,  such  as  the  prohibition  of  in- 
struction and  the  separation  of  families,  for,  although  we  generally 
profess  here  to  hold  anti-slavery  principles,  I  believe  that  it  is  these 
atrocious  slave  laws  and  their  immediate  practical  results  that  chiefly 
excite  our  indignation,  not  only  against  those  who  practice  them,  but 
against  all  who  may  be  supposed  to  connive  at  or  tolerate  them.  I 
would  fain  hope  that  the  proceedings  of  the  Methodist  Conference  in 
regard  to  Bishop  Andrews,  which  I  have  just  read  in  the  Presbyterian, 
indicate  a  growing  sense  of  the  necessity  of  the  churches  bestirring 
themselves  in  this  matter.  Dr.  Burns  has,  since  his  return,  been  lec- 
turing in  different  parts  of  the  country  upon  his  visit  to  America,  and 
upon  the  whole  has  not,  I  understand,  been  guilty  of  any  very  great 
indiscretion.  He  has  usually  introduced  the  subject  of  slavery,  and 
told  some  stories  of  church  members  being  sold,  the  husband  sepa- 
rated from  the  wife,  and  the  mother  from  her  children.  I  will  con- 
tinue to  do  what  I  can  to  preserve  peace,  as  I  am  satisfied  that  no- 
thing we  can  do  will  have  any  beneficial  effect,  and  because  I  cannot 
see  that  there  rests  upon  us  any  obligation  to  testify  upon  the  subject 
irrespective  of  a  testimony  being  likely  to  do  good. 


358  CORRESPONDENCE.  [1844. 

By  the  kindness  of  a  friend  I  have  got  the  use  of  a  very  comfort- 
able and  beautifully  situated  country  house,  nine  miles  to  the  south 
of  Edinburgh,  where  I  expect  to  have  three  months  of  uninterrupted 
study  to  prepare  for  the  labors  of  our  Theological  Seminary  in  No- 
vember. I  would  fain  hope  that  the  decisive  votes  in  your  Assembly 
will  put  an  end  to  your  contentions  about  the  Elder  question,  and 
leave  you  at  leisure  to  prosecute  the  important  objects  you  have  taken 
up  in  regard  to  churches  and  schools. 

Just  before  leaving  America  I  received  a  few  copies  from  home  of 
a  book  for  young  people,  called  '•  Witnesses  for  the  Truth,"  and  I 
sent  one  to  Mrs.  Hodge  through  Mr.  Carter,  which  I  hope  she  has  re- 
ceived. 

The  Duke  of  Sutherland  has  yielded  to  the  force  of  public  opinion 
and  gives  us  sites,  and  the  Duke  of  Buccleugh,  under  the  pretence 
that  he  thought  the  Lord's  Supper  would  be  desecrated  by  being  ad- 
ministered in  the  public  road,  offered  to  the  people  of  Canonbie  per- 
mission to  meet  in  a  field  on  the  occasion  of  the  communion,  which 
was  last  Lord's  Day.  We  think  he  will  scarcely  venture  to  drive  them 
back  to  the  road  again. 

No  part  of  my  statement  gave  more  satisfaction  to'the  General  As- 
sembly than  the  extracts  I  read  to  them  from  your  article. 

W.  C. 

I  would  like  very  much  to  hear  from  you  when  you  have  a  little 
leisure.  Any  thing  addressed  to  me  at  Edinburgh  will  reach  me.  I 
will  ever  retain  a  grateful  sense  of  the  kindness  I  received  from  you, 
and  a  lively  recollection  of  the  pleasure  I  enjoyed  in  your  society- 
Be  so  good  as  to  present  my  kind  remembrances  to  Mrs.  Hodge  and 
the  young  people,  to  Dr.  Miller,  to  Dr.  Alexander  and  his  sons,  to 
Dr.  Carnahan,  Rice  and  Maclean,  and  Messrs.  Henry  and  Dod,  and 
believe  me  to  be  sincerely  and  affectionately  yours, 

WM.  CUNNINGHAM. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    DR.    CUNNINGHAM. 

PRINCETON,  Sept.  13,  1844. 

My  Dear  Sir  : — All  your  Princeton  friends  were  very  happy  to  hear 
of  your  safe  return  to  your  native  land  and  of  the  cordial  welcome 
everywhere  extended  to  you.  We  have  rejoiced  in  the  abundant 
manifestations  of  the  divine  favor  granted  to  the  Free  Church  during 
the  past  year,  and  in  the  inviting  prospect  of  usefulness  which  is 
spread  out  before  her. 

Here  there  is  little  new  or  interesting.  I  am  afraid  that  little  will 
be  done  in  behalf  of  the  Free  Church  in  virtue  of  the  recommenda- 


^ET.  46.]  CORRESPONDENCE.  359 

tion  of  our  last  Assembly.  It  was  a  mistake  merely  to  pass  resolu- 
tions expressing  sympathy  with  your  body  and  urging  congregations 
which  had  not  done  anything  to  make  a  collection  in  aid  of  your 
funds.  If  a  particular  day  had  been  appointed,  and  all  the  churches, 
without  any  distinction,  whether  they  had  done  anything  or  not, 
called  upon  to  make  a  collection  on  that  day,  I  think  something  bet- 
ter might  have  come  of  it.  However,  you  have  a  better  dependence 
than  the  distant  and  feeble  churches  of  America. 

We  shall  be  happy  to  make  the  arrangements  which  you  suggest 
with  regard  to  periodicals,  etc. 

We  have  all  felt  a  good  deal  agrieved  by  the  articles  in  the  Witness 
on  American  Slavery.  It  is  very  evident  that  they  were  not  written 
by  the  editor  of  that  paper ;  but  we  are  surprised  at  his  publishing 
them.  They  are  unjust,  inaccurate,  injurious  to  the  American 
churches,  and  of  evil  tendency  in  all  respects.  If  the  Abolitionists 
of  Great  Britain  wish  to  do  us  any  good,  let  them  first  define  what 
slavery  is,  making  due  discrimination  between  slave-holding  and  the 
varying  laws  by  which,  in  different  countries,  slave-holding  is  regu- 
lated. And  then  let  them  prove  that  slave-holding,  not  the  slave  laws 
of  this  or  that  State,  but  slave-holding,  is  contrary  to  the  Word  of 
God.  It  cannot  do  us  any  good  to  tell  us  that  it  is  wrong  to  be  cruel, 
to  be  unjust,  to  separate  husbands  and  wives,  parents  and  children, 
or  to  keep  servants  in  ignorance.  Our  churches  do  not  sanction  any 
of  these  things,  though  our  laws  often  do.  Instead  of  really  arguing 
the  question,  and  affecting  the  conscience  through  the  understanding, 
such  men  as  the  writers  in  the  Witness  take  up  reports  of  this  or  that 
case  of  cruelty,  and  hold  it  up  as  an  indication  of  the  character  of 
whole  classes  of  men  in  this  country.  They  might,  of  course,  as  well 
cite  passages  from  the  reports  of  the  commissioners  on  your  mines  to 
show  the  character  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland. 

I  know,  my  dear  sir,  how  much  superior  you  are  to  all  such  things, 
and  I  would  not  write  thus  to  you  if  I  did  not  know  that  you  are  well 
aware  of  the  respect  which  we  all  have  for  your  principles  and  con- 
duct in  reference  to  this  subject.  But  I  really  feel  concerned  for  the 
effect  such  articles  are  likely  to  produce.  It  is  the  want  of  sense,  as 
much  as  the  want  of  justice,  manifested  in  such  effusions  and  in  the 
proceedings  of  some  of  your  emancipation  societies  that  tries  our 
patience.  I  see  Dr.  Burns  is  very  desirous,  in  his  anti-slavery 
speeches,  to  bring  to  his  support  "  his  respected  friend,  Dr.  Cunning- 
ham," as  much  as  possible  ;  and  to  represent  himself  and  you  as 
standing  on  the  same  ground  on  this  subject.  In  the  estimation  of 
good  people  here,  there  are  few  things  less  alike  than  Dr.  Burns  and 
"his  respected  friend,"  and  it  will  require  hard  pulling  to  get  them 


360  CORRESPONDENCE.  [1845. 

together.  I  hope  you  have  seen  in  the  New  York  Observer  a  notice 
of  the  article  in  the  Witness.  That  notice  is  from  the  pen  of  Dr. 
James  W.  Alexander,  who  lived  many  years  in  Virginia. 

I  hope  you  will  often  write  to  me,  or  to  some  of  your  friends  in 
Princeton.  We  shall  never  forget  the  pleasure  we  derived  from  your 
visit.  Will  you  present  my  regards  to  Dr.  Gordon,  to  whom  I  look 
up  with  the  deepest  respect.  I  once  (1828)  had  the  pleasure  of  hear- 
ing him  preach,  but  had  not  the  advantage  of  an  introduction  to  him 
during  my  short  visit  to  Scotland. 

I  see  by  the  Witness  that  you  are  down  on  the  Erastians  with  a 
heavy  hand.  They  will  think  you  have  let  your  hair  grow  during 
your  visit  to  America.  All  your  friends  here,  including  all  the  mem- 
bers of  my  family,  unite  in  assurances  of  affection  and  respect. 

Your  friend  and  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    DR.  CUNNINGHAM. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  29th,  1845. 

My  Dear  Sir  : —  ...  I  thank  you  sincerely  for  the  number  of  the 
North  British  Review  containing  the  article  on  the  United  States. 
All  your  friends  in  America  feel  under  obligations  to  you  for  that 
manly  defence,  and  all  the  more  that  they  see  you  suffer  for  it.  I 
notice  with  pain  the  pecking  of  the  Record,  which  is  noticeable  only 
as  revealing  the  animus  of  the  editor.  High-churchmen  are  accused 
of  loving  the  Church  more  than  Christ  or  Christians,  and  the  Record 
really  seems  to  love  aristocracy  more  than  men.  It  can  see  no 
good,  or  rejoice  in  nothing  good,  where  there  are  not  kings  and  no- 
bles. I  have  never  noticed  an  expression  of  satisfaction  at  the  evi- 
dence of  the  power  of  the  Gospel  in  this  country,  but  a  uniform  dis- 
position to  rejoice  in  all  our  infirmities  and  vices.  *  *  *  *  * 

I  rejoice  to  see  that  your  New  College  meets  with  so  much  favor. 
We  all  cherish  the  recollection  of  your  visit  as  something  we  can 
never  let  die  out  of  our  minds.  I  hope  you  will  brighten  the  chain 
occasionally  by  letting  us  hear  from  you.  Mrs.  Hodge  and  my  chil- 
dren beg  that  you  will  not  forget  them.  *  *  * 

Very  sincerely  your  friend  and  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.    CUNNINGHAM    TO    DR.    HODGE. 

EDINBURGH,  26th  April,  1845. 

My  Dear  Sir : — I  have  to  thank  you  for  two  letters,  and  to  apolo- 
gize for  not  answering  them  sooner.  For  the  last  six  months  I  have 


JET.  47.]  CORRESPONDENCE.  361 

been  occupied  very  thoroughly  with  the  duties  of  a  first  session  in  our 
Theological  Seminary.  I  had  made  very  little  written  preparation 
before  the  beginning  of  the  session,  as  for  nearly  five  months  I  have, 
besides  other  duties,  to  compose  each  week  three  lectures  of  fifty 
minutes  each.  The  session,  however,  is  now  over,  and  we  have  a 
vacation  of  six  months.  I  sent  you  lately  two  numbers  of  the  Wit- 
ness containing  a  report  of  a  discussion  in  our  Presbytery  on  "Amer- 
ican Slavery,"  which  has,  I  think,  put  down  "Abolitionism"  in  its 
technical  sense,  so  far  as  the  Free  Church  is  concerned.  ***** 

I  read  with  much  interest  the  article  on  "Abolitionism"  in  the 
Repertory.  It  contained  some  important  truths,  which,  in  this 
country,  when  judging  of  the  American  churches,  we  are  far 
too  apt  to  overlook.  But  I  am  not  satisfied  of  the  soundness 
of  some  of  its  principles.  I  cannot  see  how  any  human  being  can 
justly  and  validly  lose  his  own  personal,  natural  right  to  control  his 
time  and  labor,  unless  the  element  either  of  his  own  consent  or  of  penal 
infliction  for  a  crime  proven  be  brought  in.  I  cannot  but  think  that 
every  man  is  entitled  to  escape  from  slavery  if  he  can,  an  idea  decidedly 
confirmed  by  the  decisions  of  the  Mosaic  Law  about  runaway  slaves, 
and  as  the  master's  right  and  the  slave's  obligation  must  be  correla- 
tive, it  would  seem  that  the  slave's  right  to  run  away  disproves  the 
master's  right  to  retain  him  in  slavery.  But  I  have  no  doubt  that 
where  slavery  exists  and  is  established  by  law,  individuals  may  inno- 
cently occupy  the  position  of  slave-holders,  because  in  the  actual  cir- 
cumstances in  which  the  community  and  they  themselves  and  the 
slaves  are  placed  the  greatest  benefit  which  it  may  be  in  their  power 
to  confer  may  be  to  purchase  a  slave  and  to  exercise  to  some  extent 
the  power  which  the  law  may  give  them  over  him.  And  it  is  very 
certain  that  no  power  on  earth  is  entitled,  in  the  face  of  Apostolic 
practice,  to  prescribe  it  as  a  law  to  the  Church  of  Christ  that  they 
shall  not  admit  slave-holders  to  ordinances  or  even  to  office  in  the 
Church.  I  think  too  much  stress  has  been  laid  on  both  sides  on  a 
specific  answer  to  the  question  "  Is  slave-holding  sinful  ?"  With  the 
views  I  entertain  upon  the  subject  I  could  answer  this  question  either 
affirmatively  or  negatively,  cum  distinctione,  according  as  it  might  be 
explained  and  applied.  There  is  surely  a  class  of  cases  which  are 
intermediate  between  things  indifferent  and  those  which  are  in  their 
own  nature,  and  in  all  their  circumstances,  morally  right  or  wrong. 

The  country  is  involved  in  a  great  excitement  at  present  in  conse- 
quence of  Sir  Robert  Peel's  resolution  to  endow  permanently  the 
College  at  Maynooth  for  the  educating  Popish  priests.  He  adverted 
the  other  night  in  the  House  of  Commons  to  the  possibility  of  a  war 
with  the  United  States  as  a  reason  for  reconciliating  the  Irish  Papists. 


362  CORRESPONDENCE.  [  1 846. 

Let    us    hope    and  pray  that   the    Lord    may  avert    so   fearful    a 
calamity. 

We  have  suffered  a  great  loss  in  our  Theological  Seminary  by  the 
death  of  Dr.  Welsh,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one.  He  was  Professor 
of  Church  History,  and  a  man  very  highly  esteemed  and  respected 
among  us.  He  had  published  the  first  volume  of  a  church  history, 
which,  however,  is  by  no  means  a  fair  specimen  of  what  the  work 
was  to  have  been  had  he  been  spared  to  complete  it.  His  death  will 
probably  lead  to  some  remodelling  of  our  arrangements  in  the  Sem- 
inary, and  it  is  not  altogether  unlikely  that  I  may  be  appointed  to 
succeed  him;  not,  however,  as  Professor  of  Church  History,  but  of 
Historical  and  Polemic  Theology.  Dr.  Chalmers  continues  to  enjoy 
good  health,  though  he  does  not  now  take  much  part  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  ordinary  business  of  the  church.  His  strength  is  failing 
a  good  deal,  and  he  is  very  anxious  now  to  retire  from  public  life  and 
active  duties.  He  is  not  likely  to  continue  to  take  the  regular 
charge  of  a  class  in  the  Seminary  for  more  than  one  or  two  years 
longer. 

I  am  going  to  visit  Sutherland  for  a  fortnight  before  the  Assembly. 
The  Duke  of  Sutherland,  as  I  anticipated  when  in  America,  was 
shamed  into  giving  sites  for  our  churches  ;  but  he  resolved,  since  we 
had  carried  off  the  whole  adult  population,  to  try  to  bring  back  the 
young  men  to  the  establishment,  and  has  refused  to  give  us  sites  for 
Free  Church  schools.  The  people  won't  send  their  children  to  the 
establishment  schools,  and  there  are  no  others  in  that  part  of  the 
country.  As  he  made  24,000  pass  a  winter  without  churches,  he  has 
made  their  children  pass  two  without  school-houses.  But  he  seems 
now  to  feel  that  he  must  yield  on  this  point,  too  ;  and  I  expect  to  be 
able  to  report  to  the  Assembly  that  the  matter  has  been  adjusted. 

It  will  always  give  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  hear  from  you.  I 
will  write  again  (D.  V.)  after  the  Assembly.  Give  my  kindest  re- 
membrance to  Mrs.  Hodge  and  the  members  of  your  family,  and  to 
your  colleagues,  and  believe  me  to  be,  my  dear  sir, 

Sincerely  and  affectionately  yours,  WM.  CUNNINGHAM. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    DR.    CUNNINGHAM. 

PRINCETON,  January,  1846. 

My  Dear  Sir: — If  my  negligence  in  writing  to  you  entails  on  me 
the  penalty  of  not  hearing  from  you  I  am  severely  though  justly  pun- 
ished. I  beg  you,  however,  not  to  let  justice  grow  into  severity  and 
lead  you  to  keep  silence  even  after  I  have  performed  my  epistolary 
duty.  If  writing  is  a  disagreeable  work  to  you,  consider  that  reading 
is  very  agreeable  to  us. 


JET.  48.]  CORRESPONDENCE.  363 

Since  I  last  wrote  two  things  have  occurred  in  our  Church,  the  one 
a  public  and  the  other  a  more  personal  affair,  which  have  been  pecu- 
liarly interesting  to  me.  The  former  is  the  decision  of  our  General 
Assembly,  pronouncing  baptism  as  administered  in  the  Romish 
Church  to  be  invalid.  This  decision  took  us  all  very  much  by  sur- 
prise. I  think  a  decided  majority  of  our  ministers,  over  fifty  years 
of  age,  are  opposed  to  the  decision,  and  a  large  proportion  of  our 
more  intelligent  laymen.  All  the  brethren  connected  with  the  Col- 
lege and  Theological  Seminary  are  in  opposition,  and  if  the  Reper- 
tory still  reaches  you,  you  may  have  noticed  in  the  number  for  July, 
1845,  an  argument  against  the  decision.  *  *  *  I  beg  you  to  let  me 
know  your  own  views  and  what  you  take  to  be  the  sentiment  of  your 
church  as  to  the  decision  of  our  Assembly. 

The  other  and  more  private  event  to  which  I  alluded  is  the  death 
of  Mr.  Dod,  Professor  of  Mathematics  in  our  College.  I  suspect  you 
hardly  saw  enough  of  him  to  get  an  insight  into  the  man.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  highly  gifted  of  our  ministers ;  the  best  public  de- 
bater, I  think,  in  our  church,  and  one  of  the  best  of  our  controver- 
sial writers.  I  greatly  relied  upon  him  in  all  times  of  emergency. 
He  died  on  the  2oth  of  November,  after  a  week's  illness.  His 
death-bed  experience  was  very  remarkable.  He  had  for  some  years 
been  so  absorbed  in  literary  and  professional  pursuits  that  he  ap- 
peared less  before  the  public  as  a  minister  and  a  religious  man  than 
his  friends  wished  ;  and  there  was  a  latitude  of  remark  and  a  freedom 
in  speculation  in  which  he  was  apt  to  indulge  which  produced  an  im- 
pression as  to  his  Christian  character  which  was  not  altogether  fav- 
orable. His  intimate  friends,  however,  never  doubted  his  piety,  and 
when  he  came  to  die,  which  in  his  case  was  a  slow  process,  contin- 
uing from  Tuesday  evening  until  Thursday  afternoon,  he  evidenced  a 
calm,  intelligent,  Scriptural  faith,  without  any  emotional  excitement, 
which  filled  every  one  about  him  with  surprise.  He  was  just  as  com- 
pletely Albert  B.  Dod,  in  all  his  intellectual  and  social  peculiarities, 
in  his  cheerfulness,  even  playfulness,  in  his  clear  and  strong  discri- 
minating sense,  as  when  in  perfect  health.  I  had  often  known 
of  men's  dying  in  peace  or  in  triumph,  but  to  see  a  man  dying  cheer- 
fully in  the  full  possession  of  his  intellect,  in  calm,  unexcited  confi- 
dence in  Christ  as  his  God  and  Saviour,  was  to  me  a  perfectly  novel 
sight.  His  death  is  the  greatest  loss  I  have  ever  sustained  in  the 
death  of  friends. 

I  learn  by  letter  just  received  from  the  Rev.  Thomas  McCrie, 
of  Edinburgh,  that  some  friends  there  think  of  republishing  the  Re- 
view of  Beman  on  the  Atonement,  published  in  the  Repertory,  for 
January,  1845,  *n  mv  answer  to  his  letter  I  ventured  to  suggest  some 


\ 


364  DEA  TH  OF  PR  OFESSOR  D  OD.  [  1 845 . 

reasons  for  thinking  it  better  that  the  Review  should  appear  without 
a  name.  You  know  a  man  can  talk  very  "big"  when  he  is  speak- 
ing behind  a  curtain,  and  in  the  name  of  a  whole  class  of  men — the  Old 
School  party  for  instance — when  he  would  feel  rather  foolish  if  the  cur- 
tain were  suddenly  drawn  up,  and  only  one  little  fellow  seen  standing 
there.  This,  however,  is  only  a  personal  affair.  I  am  willing  you 
should  do  what  you  think  is  most  likely  to  be  useful.  At  all  events, 
leave  out  the  compliment  to  Dr.  Cox  in  the  last  paragraph,  about  his 
<ro0m  and  yvua^,  which  none  but  an  American  can  understand. 

Mrs.  Hodge  and  the  whole  family  unite  in  begging  you  not  to  for- 
get them.  Your  friends  in  America  have  a  great  hankering  after 
you,  and  despite  of  the  claims  of  the  Free  Church,  would  be  glad  to 
get  you  permanently  among  us.  The  good  people  in  this  country 
have  such  a  notion  of  Lord  Palmerston's  pugnacity  that  they  are  all 
rejoicing  at  the  return  of  Sir  Robert  Peel  to  power.  Can  a  greater 
sin  be  imagined  than  England  and  America  going  to  war  about  Ore- 
gon ?  I  question  whether  Dr.  Chalmers  even  knows  where  Oregon  is. 

Your  affectionate  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DEATH    OF   PROFESSOR    ALBERT   B.    DOD. 

On  the  2Oth  of  November,  1845,  the  subject  of  this 
Memoir  met  one  of  the  chief  bereavements  of  his  life.  Pro- 
fessor Albert  B.  Dod  had  married  his  cousin,  Miss  Caroline 
S.  Bayard  and  was,  with  the  exception  of  his  brother  and 
Bishop  Johns,  the  most  intimate  friend  he  ever  had.  As 
narrated  above,  Professor  Dod  spent  several  evenings  every 
week  in  his  friend's  study,  where  he  formed  by  far  the  most 
brilliant  and  inspiring  of  the  remarkable  set  of  conversa- 
tionalists who  met  there  constantly  for  the  discussion  of  all 
questions  of  interest  to  educated  men.  Nine  years  after  his 
death  Dr.  Hodge  wrote  an  account  of  him  for  Dr.  Sprague's 
Annals,  affirming  :  "  I  have  not  yet  ceased  to  mourn  his  de- 
parture as  a  personal  loss." 

He  describes  him  as  : — "  Rather  above  the  ordinary  stan- 
dard in  height,  somewhat  inclined  to  stoop ;  rather  square- 
shouldered;  but  active  and  graceful  in  his  movements  and 
carriage.  His  head  was  unusually  large;  his  forehead 
broad,  but  not  high;  his  eyebrows  massive  and  projecting; 


^ET.  47.]  DEATH  OF  PROFESSOR  DOD.  365 

his  eyes  hazel,  brilliant  and  deep-seated ;  his  countenance 
intellectual  and  pleasing.  His  disposition  was  very  cheerful 
and  amiable,  which  rendered  him  with  his  extraordinary 
conversational  powers,  particularly  agreeable  as  a  com- 
panion. His  reputation  as  a  talker  threatened  at  one  time 
to  eclipse  his  fame  in  higher  departments.  But  this  was 
only  the  sparkling  of  a  really  deep  and  rapidly  moving 
stream. 

"  He  had  a  taste  for  literature  and  the  fine  arts,  and  con- 
siderable fertility  of  imagination,  and  was,  I  think,  dis- 
posed to  estimate  these  gifts  at  a  higher  value  than  his  more 
solid  mental  qualities.  To  me,  it  always  appeared  that  his 
understanding,  his  power  of  clear  and  quick  discernment, 
of  analysis  and  lucid  statement,  and  of  logical  deduction, 
was  the  leading  power  of  his  mind,  to  which  his  reputation 
and  usefulness  were  mainly  due. 

"  It  was  that  gave  him  his  success  and  power  as  a  teacher. 
There  was  nothing  that  he  could  not  make  plain.  He  de- 
lighted in  unfolding  the  rationale  of  all  the  processes  of  his 
department,  and  to  elevate  his  pupils  to  the  study  of  the 
philosophy  of  every  subject  which  he  taught. 

"  To  this  clearness  and  discrimination  of  mind  is  also  to 
be  referred  his  fondness  for  metaphysics,  and  his  skill  in 
the  discussion  of  subjects  connected  with  that  department. 
Those  of  his  writings  which  excited  general  attention  are 
on  topics  of  this  character.  His  mind  was  ever  on  the  alert, 
and  teeming  with  thought  and  suggestions.  It  was  a  com- 
mon thing  for  him  when  he  entered  my  study,  to  say : — 
'  I  was  thinking,  as  I  came  along,  of  such  and  such  a  ques- 
tion,' announcing  some  problem  in  mental  or  moral  science. 
Indeed,  I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  was  acquainted  with  a 
man,  who  so  constantly  suggested  important  topics  of  con- 
versation, or  kept  the  minds  of  his  friends  more  on  a  stretch. 
His  consciousness  of  power  in  debate,  no  doubt,  contributed 
to  the  formation  of  this  habit,  for  the  pleasure  of  discussion 
was  in  his  case  so  great,  fhat  he  would  often  start  paradox- 


366  DEATH  OF  PROFESSOR  DOD.  [1845. 

ical  opinions,  either  for  the  sake  of  surprising  his  hearers, 
or  exercising  his  skill  in  defending  them.  The  talent  to 
which  I  have  referred,'  was  conspicuously  displayed  in  all 
public  assemblies.  Had  his  life  been  spared,  I  doubt  not, 
he  would  have  established  for  himself  the  reputation  of  one 
of  the  ablest  debaters  in  our  church. 

"  His  best  and  most  effective  sermons  are  distinguished 
by  the  same  character  of  mind.  His  voice  was  melodious 
and  his  delivery  free  and  untrammelled  by  his  notes,  which 
were  generally  written  out  in  full.  Though  his  preaching 
in  the  latter  years  of  his  life  was  generally  addressed  more 
to  the  understanding  than  to  the  affections,  yet  he  had  great 
emotional  power,  and  could,  when  roused  himself,  control 
in  an  uncommon  degree  the  feelings  of  his  audience. 

"I  regarded  him  as  one  of  the  most  gifted  men  of  our 
church.  His  having  chosen  an  academical,  instead  of  a 
pastoral  career,  kept  him  in  a  measure  aloof  from  our  eccle- 
siastical courts,  and  turned  his  attention  to  science  rather 
than  to  theology.  But  I  have  a  strong  conviction  that  he  had 
in  him  rich  stores  of  undeveloped  resources  (he  was  only  41), 
which,  had  it  pleased  God  to  prolong  his  life,  would  have 
rendered  him  one  of  the  most  eminent  and  useful  ministers 
of  our  church." 

As  described  above  in  Dr.  Hodge's  letter  to  Dr.  Cun- 
ningham, Prof.  Dod's  death-bed  experience  was  very  remark- 
able. All  his  peculiar  intellectual  and  social  traits  and  habits 
were  in  full  play  to  the  last.  When  unexpectedly  and 
instantly  brought  face  to  face  with  death,  he  took  up  every 
question  of  pressing  personal  interest  and  settled  them  in 
their  order.  First,  his  family,  of  wife  and  seven  little  children, 
unprovided  for.  These  he  committed  to  God  in  an  act  of 
absolute  faith,  which  the  heavenly  Father  has  not  disap- 
pointed. And  this  matter  remained  thus  permanently  dis- 
posed of.  Then  he  took  up  the  relation  of  his  own  soul  to 
God.  "As  soon  as  the  object  of  faith  was  presented  to  him 
in  the  free,  full  and  explicit  declarations  of  Scripture,  he 


JET.  49.]  DEPARTURE  OF  HIS  CHILDREN.  367 

seized  it  with  a  clearness  and  strength  which  left  no  doubt 
in  his  own  mind  whether  he  had  faith  or  not.  As  promise 
after  promise  was  repeated  to  him,  he  said  with  emotion : 
'  I  thank  you  for  that/  '  God  bless  you  for  that.'  '  I  know 
myself  to  be  nothing  and  less  than  nothing,  and  God  all  in 
all.  And  Christ  precious.  I  know  no  other  God  but  him.' 
The  text  was  then  repeated :  '  Whosoever  believeth  that 
Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  is  born  of  God.'  'Thank  you 
for  that,'  he  replied,  and  attempted  to  raise  his  friend's  hand 
to  his  lips." 

That  friend  was  Dr.  Hodge,  who  remained  with  him  all 
the  long  period  of  his  death  struggle,  and  who  wrote  an 
account  of  it  which  he  read  at  the  funeral,  and  which  was 
subsequently  printed  in  a  pamphlet.  It  was  at  this  funeral 
that  Dr.  Hodge  made  one  of  his  few  but  nevertheless  in- 
tensely characteristic  bursts  of  eloquence,  described  by  Dr. 
Paxton  in  the  last  chapter  of  this  book. 

MARRIAGE  AND  DEPARTURE  OF  HIS  CHILDREN. 

Two  years  after  this,  in  the  late  summer  and  autumn  of 
1847,  Dr.  Hodge's  immediate  family  began  to  have  its  first 
experience  of  the  inevitable  separations  which  await  us  all. 
Up  to  this  time  there  had  been  no  parting.  Neither  parent, 
nor  either  of  the  eight  children  had  died.  Their  education 
also  in  school  and  college  had  been  conducted  together  and 
at  home.  [But  now  at  once  the  eldest  son  went  to  India  as 
a  Missionary,  and  the  eldest  daughter  went  to  Danville, 
Kentucky,  as  the  wife  of  the  Rey^  Wm.  M.  Scott,  Professor 
of  Ancient  Languages  in  Centre  College,  and  afterwards 
Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Exegesis  in  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Chicago. 

Such  an  experience  makes  an  epoch  in  any  family,  leaving 
it  changed  forever.  Our  family  was  never  completely 
regathered  on  earth  again,  for  before  the  son  returned  from 
India,  the  Mother  was  making  the  beginnings  of  the  home 
in  heaven.  The  parting  was  the  occasion  of  the  utter  pour- 


368  DEPARTURE  OF  HIS  CHILDREN.  [1847. 

ing  forth  of  the  treasures  of  love  of  both  parents'  hearts. 
To  us  these  are  unspeakably  precious,  but  they  are  too 
sacred  to  be  given  here.  From  this  time  for  years  our 
Father's  letters  to  his  brother  had  but  one  burden,  his 
children  and  their  welfare,  and  then  the  memory  and  the 
virtues  and  the  love  of  their  sainted  Mother.  He  writes  to 
his  brother,  September  I4th,  1847,  "To  marry  a  daughter  I 
find  to  be  a  very  different  thing  from  marrying  a  son.  It  is 
a  complete  sacrifice  of  self  to  the  good  of  your  child,  and  it 
is  right  it  should  be  so,  but  it  is  most  peculiarly  painful. 
How  little  we  know  of  anything  but  by  experience.  Whoever 
sympathizes  with  parents  on  the  marriage  of  a  daughter? 
Men  congratulate  me,  when  I  can  hardly  help  feeling  they 
do  it  in  designed  mockery.  Still  we  had  M — .  for  two  and 
twenty  years,  and  that  is  a  good  deal,  and  though  she  is  not 
now,  and  never  again  can  be  to  us  what  she  once  was,  she 
is  still  our  precious  child.  I  trust  we  shall  be  happy  in  her 
happiness." 

His  never  failing  friend,  Bishop  Johns,  wrote  to  him, 
Richmond,  April  i/th,  1848.  "We  rejoice  with  you  in  the 
intelligence  of  A.'s  safe  arrival  and  in  his  health  and  com- 
fort in  his  new  field.  Distance,  dear  Charles,  is  a  small  con- 
sideration. To  have  a  child  so  devoted  and  employed  should 
overtop  all  else.  And  to  have  a  daughter  wedded  to  a 
faithful  minister  of  the  gospel,  who  will  be  her  guide  to 
heaven,  as  well  as  her  affectionate  companion  by  the  way, 
is  a  privilege  with  which  the  heart  of  a  Christian  parent 
may  well  be  contented.  Forget  oceans  and  miles  in  your 
gratitude.  All  unite  in  most  affectionate  regards  to  you 
and  yours.  In  the  beginning  yet  of  our  friendship,  yours 
truly.  J.  Johns."  Is  not  that  beautiful  ?  They  were  past 
fifty  years  old,  and  in  the  twenty-eighth  year  of  their  minis- 
try, "  and  in  the  beginning  yet  of  their  friendship  I" 


JET.  52.]  DEATH  OF  HIS  WIFE.  369 

THE    DEATH    OF    HIS    WIFE. 

During  the  summer  of  1849  Mrs.  Hodge  had  visited  her 
daughter  in  Kentucky,  and  had  returned  in  September,  as 
her  husband  reported  to  his  brother  "wonderfully  well, 
fatter  and  stronger  than  before  her  journey,  and  in  excellent 
spirits."  She  became  ill  however  later  in  the  same  month 
with  a  disease  which,  in  the  judgment  of  her  physicians, 
while  involving  crises  of  imminent  danger,  yet  upon  the 
whole  admitted  a  strong  expectation  of  ultimate  recovery. 
His  beloved  brother  visited  their  home  as  frequently  as  pos- 
sible during  the  first  week  of  December,  and  contributed 
much  to  prolong  life,  and  to  sustain  hope.  The  bereaved  hus- 
band left  this  minute  in  his  record  book.  "  On  Tuesday,  the 
1 8th  of  December,  in  the  afternoon,  she  sank  so  low  that  we 
feared  she  could  not  live  until  sundown.  She  was  sweetly 
humble  and  resigned.  I  asked  her,  Do  you  love  the  Lord 
Jesus  ?  She  said :  '  I  hope  so.'  I  asked,  do  you  trust  in 
him  ?  '  Entirely.'  Is  he  precious  to  you  ?  '  Very.'  She 
afterwards  often  answered  the  same  questions  by  saying : 
'  Inexpressibly.'  '  He  is  my  all  in  all.'  She  expressed  the 
greatest  penitence  and  self-condemnation  in  view  of  herself 
and  life,  but  the  most  peaceful  confidence  whenever  she 
thought  of  the  blessed  Saviour.***  Afterwards,  towards  the 
end  of  that  week  and  the  beginning  of  the  next,  she  im- 
proved. During  these  days  she  frequently  requested  me  to 
pray  with  her,  and  was  never  weary  of  the  repetition  of 
hymns,  especially  of  the  hymns  "  How  sweet  the  name  of 
Jesus  sounds,"  and  "Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul."  But  Monday 
night,  at  another  violent  crisis  in  her  complaint,  she  began 
to  sink,  and  about  half  past  four  o'clock  on  Christmas 
morning  she  softly  and  sweetly  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  She 
evinced  throughout  the  most  perfect  composure  and  resig- 
nation. She  said  she  knew  she  was  dying.  Spoke  of  her 
children,  said  she  could  not  see  them  now  and  added :  '  I 
give  them  to  God.'  She  responded  in  full  appropriating 
faith  to  the  promises  of  Scripture  repeated  in  her  hearing, 
24 


370  DEATH  OF  HIS  WIFE.  [1849. 

and  over  and  over  again  expressed  her  full  and  entire  con- 
fidence in  Christ,  and  her  overwhelming  sense  of  his  value 
and  of  the  love  of  God  in  the  gift  of  his  dear  Son. 

"  Her  death  was  calm,  peaceful  and  holy.  She  was  full 
of  humility,  faith  and  grateful,  admiring  love  to  God.  Her 
children,  save  the  eldest,  were  all  about  her.  They  all  were 
renewedly  given  by  her  to  God,  and  around  her  sacred  re- 
mains they  all  knelt  in  consecrating  prayer  to  God." 
!  She  had  lived  with  her  husband,  his  joy  and  crown, 
twenty-seven  years  and  a  half.  She  had  borne  for  him 
eight  children,  three  daughters  and  five  sons,  all  of  whom, 
by  God's  singular  mercy,  lived  to  mature  age,  and  have 
been  gathered  with  their  parents  into  the  number  of  those 
who  profess  Christ] 

The  sorrowing   husband  caused   this  inscription   to   be 
graven  on  her  tomb  : 

SARAH  BACHE, 

WIFE  OF 
REV.  CHARLES  HODGE, 

DEPARTED    THIS    LIFE, 
DECEMBER    25TH,    1849, 

AGED   51  YEARS. 

AN   HUMBLE  WORSHIPPER  OF  CHRIST, 
SHE  LIVED  IN    LOVE  AND 

DIED  IN  FAITH. 

TRUTHFUL  WOMAN,    DELIGHTFUL  COMPANION, 
ARDENT   FRIEND,  DEVOTED  WIFE. 

SELF-SACRIFICING    MOTHER, 

WE  LAY  YOU  GENTLY   HERE,   OUR   BEST  BELOVED, 

TO   GATHER   STRENGTH   AND   BEAUTY 

FOR  THE  COMING    OF  THE  LORD. 

A  GRAIN  OF  WHEAT  IS  NOT  QUICKENED  EXCEPT  IT  DIE. 

This  is  indeed  the  outpouring  of  a  bereaved  husband's 
heart.     But  it  is  all  true.     And  now,  when,  after  twenty- 


/ET.52.]  DEATH  OF  HIS  WIFE.  371 

nine  years,  we,  their  children,  lay  our  father  by  our  mother's 
side  and  read  this  inscription  on  her  tomb,  we  all  say 
"Amen  ! " 

BISHOP   JOHNS   WRITES   TO    HIM. 

WILLIAMSBURGH,  March  19,  1850. 

My  Dear  Charles: — If  all  the  letters  which  I  have  penned  in 
thought  had  been  forwarded  you  would  know  how  much  you  have 
been  in  my  mind.  Yes,  both  sleeping  and  waking,  I  have  been  with 
you — not,  indeed,  as  you  now  are  ;  for  it  requires  an  effort  to  realize 
that  your  house  is  not  as  I  always,  except  at  my  last  brief  visit,  joyed 
to  find  it — but  as  enlivened  and  cheered  by  the  presence  of  the 
blessed  one  who  has  from  the  first  been  so  identified  with  us  that  it 
seems  impossible  for  me  to  think  of  either  of  you  without  seeing 
both.  I  am  so  willing  to  allow  the  illusion  which  the  happy  associa- 
tion of  many  past  years  produces,  that  I  can  scarcely  bring  myself  to 
the  conviction  that  my  dear  Charles  is  bereaved,  and  alone  in  his 
desolate  home,  and  that  I  am  no  more  to  receive  the  cordial  greeting 
and  gaze  on  the  bright  countenance  of  SARAH.  That  one  sentence 
in  your  letter,  "  since  their  blessed  mother  entered  heaven,"  pressed 
for  a  while  the  truth  upon  my  consciousness,  and  in  my  strong  sym- 
pathies for  my  afflicted  brother  I  found  the  experience  of  the  time  ot 
my  own  like  visitation  very  vividly  renewed.  Yes,  dear  Charles, 
they  are  together  "in  heaven,"  and  may  we  but  be  successful  in 
training  to  a  meetness  for  the  same  mansions  the  precious  children 
they  have  left  us,  the  hour  is  not  far  off  when  we  shall  rather  think 
of  their  sainted  mothers  as  there  than  encounter  the  struggle  of  leav- 
ing them  on  earth.  My  solicitude  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  my 
children  increases  as  my  opportunities  of  being  useful  to  them  short- 
en, and  this  anxiety  is,  of  course,  more  intense  in  the  case  of  those 
who  thus  far  have  given  no  indications  of  the  new  birth  into  right- 
eousness. Nothing  seems  so  strongly  to  stir  up  my  feelings  in  prayer 
as  the  effort  to  intercede  for  them  with  God.  But  a  few  days  before 
the  receipt  of  your  letter  I  was,  I  think,  more  than  usually  engaged 
in  this  way  with  tenderness  toward  them,  but  I  fear  small  faith  and 
hope.  Is  my  almost  "extremity"  to  prove  "God's  opportunity?" 
How  wishfully  I  wait  for  further  intelligence  !  Oh,  for  more  of  that 
"great  faith  in  the  baptismal  dedication  of  children,  and  of  that  be- 
lieving prayer,"  of  which  you  speak  !  The  confidence  is  authorized, 
and  in  exercise,  how  great  the  comfort ! 

I  have  written  to  my  dear  boy  (in  Princeton  College)  the  overflow- 
ings of  my  heart  for  counsel.  Should  he  be  sufficiently  interested  to 


372  DEATH  OF  HIS  WIFE.  [1850. 

desire  it,  I  have  commended  him  to  you  as  to  a  father,  and  it  is  to 
me  cause  of  great  thankfulness  to  know  that  he  is  so  near  one  who 
will  "  naturally  care  for  his  state,"  and  truly  show  him  the  way  of 
salvation. 

Do  let  me  hear  from  you,  for  I  shall  be  anxious  to  learn  something 
of  the  good  work  which  I  trust  the  Lord  has  begun  in  the  College. 
How  the  tidings  carry  me  back,  as  well  they  may,  with  gratitude  and 
praise  to  the  never-to-be-forgotten  scenes  of  our  own  College  course 
there.  But  for  the  gracious  dispensation  of  those  days,  giving  effect 
to  parental  instruction  and  example,  what  and  where  should  /  have 
been.  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul ! 

I  need  not  say,  my  dear  Charles,  that  all  here  join  me  in  love  to 
you  and  yours.  J.  JOHNS. 

After  this  many  months  were  almost  absorbed  by  this 
great  sorrow.  In  every  way  he  gave  it  full  course,  dwell- 
ing upon  it  in  his  imagination,  and  indulging  unrestrained 
the  physical  expression  of  it.  He  wrote  to  his  brother  on 
the  1 2th  of  November,  1850,  the  anniversary  of  his  (the 
brother's)  marriage  in  New  York : 

"This  is  the  1 2th  of  November.  During  my  days  of 
happiness  the  anniversary  of  my  marriage  generally  passed 
without  special  notice ;  every  day  was  as  the  day  of  our 
espousals.  But  now  that  day  is  invested  with  sacred  inter- 
est. As  you  are  still  happy,  and  pressed  forward  with  the 
full  tide  of  life,  you  may  let  this  day  pass  with  scarcely 
more  than  a  few  ejaculations  of  thanks  to  God  for  his  good- 
ness. It  is  now  one  of  my  anniversaries.  I  know  the  his- 
tory of  my  Sarah  for  this  day  twenty-two  years  ago,  and 
can  recall  her  appearance  as  she  then  was  distinctly  before 
me.  The  night  before  we  spent  in  New  Brunswick.  In  the 
morning  we  went  to  New  York  in  the  steamboat.  We  put 
up  at  Bunker's.  I  know  the  room  we  occupied.  I  know 
where  Sarah  sat  at  dinner,  and  what  she  ate.  In  the  after- 
noon Miss  Boyd  came  to  aid  her  in  dressing.  I  can  see 
her  as  she  sat  by  Margaret  (his  brother's  bride)  on  the  sofa 
in  the  evening,  and  how  she  smiled  when  I  called  her  '  old 
Mrs.  Hodge.'  It  is  thus  I  can  recall  her  by  associating  her 


JET.  53.]  DEATH  OF  HIS  WIFE.  373 

with  particular  times  and  places.  The  general  recollection 
is  painfully  vague  ;  these  definite  associations  are  poignantly 
vivid.  And  yet  I  assiduously  cultivate  them  as  part  of  the 
homage  due  her  memory.  No  human  being  can  tell,  prior 
to  experience,  what  it  is  to  lose  out  of  a  family  its  head  and 
heart,  the  source  at  once  of  its  light  and  love." 

In  December,  1850,  his  brother  lost,  by  a  rapid  and  un- 
controllable disease,  his  third  son,  James  Bayard,  a  beauti- 
ful and  beloved  Christian  youth  of  seventeen  years.  After 
his  return  to  Princeton  from  the  funeral  Dr.  Hodge  wrote  : 

DR.    HODGE    TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  16,  1850. 

My  Dear  Brother : — You  were  kind  in  writing  to  me  when  God's 
hand  had  touched  the  apple  of  my  eye,  and  you  expressed  what  were 
no  doubt  wise  and  pious  sentiments,  but  I  felt  you  did  not  and  could 
not  understand  the  case,  and  that  such  counsels  had  but  little  power 
over  a  broken  heart.  I  do  not  feel  disposed,  therefore,  to  say  any- 
thing of  the  kind  to  you  and  sister  Margaret. 

There  is  no  help  in  such  afflictions  but  in  God.  He  alone  can 
reach  the  heart.  Earthly  friends  speak  only  to  the  outward  ear. 
Their  sympathy,  I  know,  by  experience,  is  consoling  and  gratifying. 
It  is  viewed  as  a  tribute  to  the  departed,  an  acknowledgment  of  the 
greatness  of  our  loss,  and  is  therefore  to  be  valued  and  cherished. 
That  sympathy  you  have  from  a  very  large  circle,  and  prayers  con- 
stant, numerous  and  fervent  are  going  up  to  God  in  your  behalf,  and 
in  behalf  of  your  dear  children.  It  was  never  meant  that  we  should 
not  sorrow  after  the  most  cherished  objects  of  our  affection.  Our 
duty  is  to  take  care  that  we  "  sorrow  after  a  godly  sort,"  for  "  the  sor- 
row of  the  world,"  such  sorrow  as  the  world  or  worldly  people  have, 
"  worketh  death."  Pious  sorrow,  that  is,  sorrow  mingled  with  pious 
feeling,  with  resignation,  confidence  in  God,  hope  in  his  mercy  and 
love,  is  every  way  healthful  to  the  soul ;  while  melancholy  is  irrelig- 
ious, and  is  a  cancer  to  true  peace  and  spiritual  health.  The  great 
means  of  having  our  sorrow  kept  pure  is  to  keep  near  to  God,  to  feel 
assured  of  his  love,  that  he  orders  all  things  well,  and  will  make  even 
our  afflictions  work  out  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  an  eternal 
weight  of  glory. 

Christ  is  our  God.  When  we  speak  of  keeping  near  to  God,  we 
mean  God  in  Christ,  and  God  as  reconciled  and  made  propitious  to 


374  CORRESPONDENCE.  [1850. 

us  by  his  blood.  And  Christ  is  near  to  us,  and  dwells  in  us,  and 
shows  us  His  love,  and  works  all  grace  in  us  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  The 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is  not  a  mere  speculative  doctrine,  it  is  an  es- 
sential part  of  the  Christian's  practical  faith,  the  truth  on  which  he 
daily  lives.  If,  therefore,  God  will  graciously  give  you  and  Margaret 
the  Holy  Ghost,  He  will  thereby  give  you  Himself,  and  open  to  you 
the  infinite  sources  of  peace  and  consolation  that  are  to  be  found  in 
Him.  To  give  our  grief  this  pious  character,  I  think  it  must  be 
expressed,  not  hidden  or  kept  in  one's  own  bosom.  At  least,  it  seems 
to  me  much  more  consistent  with  Christian  feeling  to  give  proper  ex- 
pression to  our  sorrow,  and  to  talk  of  those  whom  God  has  taken  to 
heaven,  than  to  cast  the  pall  of  silence  over  all  that  concerns  them. 

I  was,  therefore,  truly  rejoiced  to  find  that  dear  M.  had  the  heart 
to  talk  freely  of  Bayard.  As  he  cannot  be  forgotten,  so  he  ought  not 
to  be  remembered  merely  in  silence.  He  and  his  death  and  his  pre- 
sent blessedness  can  bear  to  be  talked  about  among  those  who  loved 
him  and  still  long  to  manifest  their  affection  for  his  memory. 

I  began  this  letter  with  the  intention  of  saying  nothing  that  could 
be  considered  like  counsel,  but  I  fear  I  have  run  into  this  mistake- 
We  cannot  tell  how  what  we  say  will  affect  the  exquisite  sensibilities 
of  a  bereaved  heart,  and  therefore  must  hope  that  what  we  write  will 
be  taken  as  an  expression  of  love,  though  it  may  be,  as  such  expres- 
sions often  are,  more  or  less  painful. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

CHARLES. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  May  28,  1850. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  your  fears  respecting 
Mrs.  Chauncey  have  proved  so  well  founded.  I  feel  f6r  him,  but  there 
is  no  help  but  in  God.  If  God  comforts  him  he  will  be  comforted, 
but  vain  are  all  human  comforters.  I  will  try  to  write  to  him,  but  my 
experience  teaches  me  not  how  to  write,  but  that  letters  of  condo- 
lence, though  not  without  their  value,  are  powerless.  I  have  re- 
ceived many  and  value  them  highly,  not  merely  as  expressions  of 
kind  feeling  towards  myself,  but  far  more  as  evidence  of  regard  for 
my  blessed  Sarah.  Still,  I  have  never  read  any  of  them  a  second 
time. 

I  feel  also  for  you.  I  know  how  much  you  suffer  from  the  loss  of 
patients,  not  only  from  sympathy,  but  from  a  feeling  of  responsibility. 
You  should  remember,  however,  that  it  is  appointed  unto  all  men 
once  to  die,  and  that  no  degree  of  skill,  and  no  assiduity  of  attention, 


MT.  50.]  DISTURBED  HEALTH.  375 

can  avert  the  shaft  of  death.  You  have  great  consolations,  as  well  as 
great  trials.  How  often  are  you  the  means  of  saving  life  !  How  often 
do  patients  and  friends  look  up  to  you  as  their  greatest  benefactor ! 
You  cannot  have  this  exquisite  satisfaction  without  paying  the  tribute 
of  occasional  sorrow  when  all  your  efforts  fail. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 

DISTURBED    HEALTH. 

During  this  period,  and  for  some  years  later,  Dr.  Hodge's 
health  continued  in  an  uncomfortable,  though  hardly  in  a 
precarious  condition.  In  the  summer  of  1848  he  met  with 
an  accident  which  proved  to  be  the  starting  point  of  a  long 
sequence  of  disturbances  in  his  nervous  and  circulatory 
systems.  His  letter  to  his  brother  on  the  occasion  will  ex- 
plain the  case : 

DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS   BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  July  I4th,  1848 — Friday. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  had  made  my  arrangements  to  preach  on 
Sunday  next  at  Netherwood  (Mr.  Lenox's  place),  and  therefore  was 
to  leave  home  last  evening  for  New  York,  so  as  to  be  able  to  take  the 
morning  boat  up  the  North  river  for  to-day.  They  had  tea  at  six 
o'clock  that  I  might  be  ready  for  the  cars.  While  we  were  all  at 
table  something  was  said  to  produce  a  laugh,  just  as  I  had  my  cup  at 
my  mouth,  and  some  of  the  tea  got  into  my  larynx,  producing  a  vio- 
lent fit  of  coughing.  I  rose  to  leave  the  table,  and  took  a  step  or  two 
towards  the  door,  and  then  I  remember  nothing  until  I  saw  the  fam- 
ily around  me  in  alarm  raising  me  from  the  floor.  They  say  I  stag- 
gered to  the  wall,  and  fell,  striking  my  head  against  the  sofa.  I  re- 
member nothing  of  the  staggering  or  falling,  or  of  the  blow.  The 
unconsciousness  was  only  for  a  moment,  for  as  they  raised  me  to  a 
sitting  posture  I  spoke,  and  asked  what  had  happened.  I  was  aware 
I  was  coming  out  of  unconsciousness,  and  had  forgotten  the  anteced- 
ents. They  told  me  I  had  choked,  and  then  it  all  came  back.  They 
were  all  a  good  deal  alarmed,  and  begged  me  not  to  leave  home. 
The  hack  was  at  the  door,  and  the  whole  occurrence  seeming  per- 
fectly intelligible,  the  spasm  of  the  larynx  producing  suffocation,  and 
that  momentary  congestion,  I  determined  to  go,  taking  Wistar  with 
me  to  New  York  for  company.  When,  however,  I  got  to  the  depot  I 
felt  unwell  and  determined  to  return. 

We  sent  for  Dr.  Schanck.     He  took  the  same  view  of  the  matter 


376  DISTURBED  HEALTH.  [1848. 

that  I  had  done,  and  advised,  what  I  had  already  ordered,  a  hot  bath 
for  the  feet  and  cold  water  for  the  head.  I  thought  he  would  have 
taken  a  little  blood,  and  think  it  would  have  been  better  had  he  done 
so.  I  felt  no  inconvenience  through  the  night,  beyond  a  slight 
headache  and  a  heaviness  about  the  chest,  inducing  frequent  sigh- 
ing. I  feel  well  this  morning,  except  this  little  headache. 

I  am  not  free  from  concern  about  this  dispensation,  as  I  think  it 
shows  a  great  tenderness  about  the  brain.  I  never  could  bear  to 
have  my  head  jarred,  nor  exposed  to  heat,  especially  in  the  back 
part  of  it.  I  arn  not  certain,  however,  the  difficulty  is  not  in  the  chest, 
as  I  so  frequently  feel  oppression  there. 

I  am  so  well  that  I  expect  to  leave  home  at  noon,  so  as  to  take  the 
night  boat  up  the  river.  The  Lord  our  Saviour  reigns,  and  we  are  in 
his  hands,  and  not  a  hair  of  our  heads  can  perish  without  his  notice. 
Your  brother,  CHARLES  HODGE. 

Again  he  writes  to  his  brother,  as  soon  as  he  returns  to 
Princeton,  on  Wednesday,  the  igth  of  July: 

My  Dear  Brother : — As  Dr.  Schanck  advised  my  going  up  the 
North  river,  I  left  home  on  Friday  morning,  and  reached  Hampton, 
five  miles  above  Newburgh,  about  half-past  nine  that  evening.  I  had 
a  very  pleasant  journey,  and  the  fresh  evening  air  on  the  river  I 
thought  did  me  good.  I  reached  Mr.  Lenox's  the  next  morning 
about  eight  o'clock.  My  head  has  been  gradually  improving.  On 
Saturday  it  ached  constantly  on  the  back  or  top,  and  I  had  a  good 
deal  of  new  nervous  feeling — not  giddiness  but  feeble  {nervation,  so 
that  my  step  was  unsteady,  and  at  times  I  experienced  the  initial  sen- 
sation of  fainting.  I  kept  quiet  and  did  not  attempt  to  preach  on 
Sunday.  Monday  I  felt  better.  I  left  Netherwood  about  noon  yes- 
terday, in  the  day  boat,  stayed  last  night  in  New  York,  and  reached 
home  at  noon  to-day.  I  find  that  writing  a  few  short  letters  is  as 
much  as  my  head  will  bear. 

I  found  your  kind  letter  awaiting  my  return,  and  shall  be  careful  to 
follow  your  directions. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 


The  nervous  disturbance  occasioned  by  this  accident  was 
subsequently  confirmed  and  aggravated  by  the  severe  and 
protracted  emotional  excitement  he  went  through  during 
the  year,  which  followed  the  death  of  his  wife^l  This  effect 
was  doubtless  dependent  upon  the  fullness  of  his  habit 


MT.  5 1 .]  CORRESPONDENCE.  377 

of  body,  the  constitutional  changes,  incident  to  his  time 
of  life,  and  the  long  confinement  which  had  resulted 
from  his  lameness.  For  years  he  suffered  from  fulness  and 
dizziness  of  the  head,  and  constant  restlessness.  He  was 
frequently  bled  and  otherwise  depleted,  and  necessarily  lived 
far  more  in  the  open  air  than  at  any  other  period  of  his  life. 
Consequently  from  1848  to  about  1855  or  '56  was  his  least 
productive  period,  so  much  so  that  it  then  often  seemed  as  if 
he  might  fail  to  gather  the  complete  harvest  of  his  previous 
labors.  It  was  now  that  he  formed  the  habit  of  seeking 
recreation  and  of  amusing  the  hours  of  his  necessary  rest 
by  a  moderate  reading  of  novels,  and  by  playing  backgam- 
mon, and  in  the  summer  season  croquet  on  the  lawn  before 
his  study  windows. 

DR.    CHARLES    HODGE    TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  25,  1849. 

My  Dear  Brother ; — Were  it  not  for  what  you  say  I  should  feel  a 
good  deal  concerned  about  my  head.  That  there  has  been  a  great 
change  since  my  attack  last  summer  there  is  no  doubt.  And  some- 
times the  disturbance  and  pain  are  so  great  that  I  can  do  nothing. 
Often,  after  three  or  four  hours'  work,  I  am  obliged  to  put  by  every- 
thing and  go  into  the  open  air.  All  this  is  new  and  strange  for  me. 
I  have  been  relieved  in  a  measure  by  observing  that  the  pain  was 
partly  external  at  times — that  is,  the  scalp  on  the  top  of  my  head  is 
tender  to  the  touch.  It  may  all  be  neuralgia,  but  it  unfits  me  for  the 

labor  I  could  once  sustain. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 

TO    THE    SAME. 

PRINCETON,  June  18,  1851. 

My  Dear  Brother:— This  is  my  wedding  day.  This  day,  and  not 
far  from  this  hour,  twenty-nine  years  ago,  my  blessed  Sarah  gave  me 
her  hand  in  pledge  of  life-long  love  and  devotion.  That  pledge  she 
sacredly  redeemed.  '  For  twenty-seven  years  God  spared  us  to  each 
other,  and  no  man  had  ever  more  reason  than  I  have  had  to  rejoice 
in  the  unwavering  affection  of  a  most  superior  woman .j  My  feelings 
now  are  in  some  respects  very  different  from  what  they  were  this  time 
last  year,  but  in  others  they  remain  unchanged.  No  day  has  inter- 


378  DEATH  OF  HIS  SENIOR  COLLEAGUES.  '        [1850. 

vened  that  I  have  not  often  and  literally  shed  tears  to  her  memory ; 
no  week  has  passed  that  I  have  not  been  twice  or  oftener  to  her 
grave.  And  yet  I  think  of  her  now  with  less  of  that  dreadful  sense 
of  bereavement  which  then  oppressed  my  spirit.  I  turn  my  heart  to- 
wards her  with  much  of  the  same  feeling  with  which  a  Romanist,  who 
stops  short  of  idolatry,  looks  up  to  his  patron  saintJ  No  one  can 
know,  prior  to  experience,  the  mystery  of  those  affections  which  are 
interwoven  with  the  whole  tissue  of  our  lives,  and  whose  objects  God 
has  exalted  to  heaven. 

Your  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 

DEATH    OF    HIS    SENIOR   COLLEAGUES. 

And  now,  within  less  than  two  years  of  one  another,  Dr. 
Hodge's  two  senior  Colleagues  were  removed,  leaving  him 
to  occupy  the  position  of  senior  professor,  with  its  attend- 
ant dignity  and  responsibility  for  twenty-seven  years.  Dr. 
Miller  died  January  7th,  1850,  and  Dr.  Alexander  died  Oc- 
tober 22d,  1851. 

It  is  natural  that  every  institution  which  has  attained  to 
a  history  should  possess  away  back  in  its  past,  if  not  a 
heroic,  at  least  a  golden  age,  when  the  remote  forefathers 
dwelt  in  a  world  of  love  and  purity,  not  known  to  their  de- 
generate sons.  But  the  holy  character  and  mutual  love  of 
the  first  three  professors  of  Princeton  Theological  Seminary 
is  not  a  myth,  nor  is  it  certified  to  us  only  by  a  dim  tradi- 
tion. Many  of  their  cotemporaries  have  left  their  written 
testimony,  and  many  of  us,  their  children  and  pupils,  survive 
to  testify  of  what  we  have  known  ourselves.  For  many 
years  I  witnessed,  as  a  member  of  one  of  their  families, 
their  going  in  and  out  together,  and  since  then  I  have  had 
a  wide  experience  of  professors  and  of  pastors,  and  I  am 
certain,  I  have  never  seen  any  three  who  together  approached 
these  three  in  absolute  singleness  of  mind,  in  simplicity 
and  godly  sincerity,  in  utter  unselfishness  and  devotion  to 
the  common  cause,  each  in  honor  preferring  one  another. 
Truth  and  candor  was  the  atmosphere  they  breathed, 
loyalty,  brave  and  sweet,  was  the  spirit  of  their  lives. 

Dr.  Alexander  bore  testimony  to  Dr.  Miller,  that  he  had 


^ET.  52.]        DEATH  OF  HIS  SENIOR  COLLEAGUES.  379 

"  never  known  a  man  more  entirely  free  from  vainglory, 
envy  and  jealousy."  His  students  regarded  him  as  the  most 
perfect  illustration  of  the  Christian  graces  they  had  ever 
seen.  Dr.  Hodge  often  narrated  how,  '  In  the  summer  of 
1819,  Dr.  Alexander  delivered  to  the  then  Senior  class  a 
lecture,  which  so  impressed  his  pupils,  that  Dr.  William 
Nevins  said  to  his  classmates  that  it  was  a  shame  they 
should  enjoy  such  instructions  and  do  nothing  to  secure 
the  same  advantage  for  others.  He,  therefore,  proposed 
that  we  should  endeavor  to  found  a  scholarship,  to  be  called 
'The  Scholarship  of  the  Class  of  1819.'  To  this  the  class 
assented,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  inform  the 
Professors  of  our  purpose.  When  the  committee  waited  on 
Dr.  Miller,  Nevins  with  his  characteristic  naive  frankness 
told  him  the  whole  story,  and  dwelt  on  the  enthusiasm 
cherished  by  the  students  for  Dr.  Alexander.  Dr.  Miller 
having  heard  him  through,  expressed  his  pleasure  in  view 
of  what  the  class  had  done,  and  then  lifted  his  hand  and 
said,  '  My  young  friend,  I  solemly  believe  that  Dr.  Alexan- 
der is  the  greatest  man  who  walks  the  earth !'  When  we 
left  the  Doctor's  study,  Nevins  said  to  his  associates  on  the 
Committee,  '  Well,  if  Dr.  Alexander  be  the  greatest,  Dr. 
Miller  is  surely  the  holiest  that  walks  the  earth  ! '  We  were 
boys  then ;  but  this  incident  serves  to  show  how  Dr.  Miller 
was  regarded  by  his  pupils."  Dr.  Hodge  also  says  of  Dr. 
Miller  "Some  men  are  good  in  one  respect  and  not  in 
another. — Dr.  Miller  was  thoroughly  good ;  good  in  every 
respect,  because  he  was  good  in  principle.  .  .  .  The  fact 
that  for  over  thirty  years  he  was  intimately  associated  with 
colleagues  to  whom  he  never  said  an  unkind  word  or  ex- 
hibited an  unkind  feeling,  is  proof  enough  of  his  habitual 
self-control." 

In  the  last  year  of  his  life  Dr.  Miller  wrote  a  letter  to  Dr. 
Henry  A.  Boardman  of  Philadelphia,  which  ought  never  to 
be  read  except  through  tears.  Its  existence  is  a  proof  of 
the  singular  favor  with  which  God  regarded  the  old  Prince- 


380  DEATH  OF  HIS  SENIOR  COLLEAGUES.  [1850. 

ton.  We  preserve  it,  and  again  and  again  we  publish  it  as 
an  inestimable  record  of  God's  goodness  to  our  Fathers, 
and  of  the  religious  character  of  the  heritage  they  have 
left  us. 


DR.    MILLER   TO    REV.   H.    A.    BOARDMAN,    D.   D. 

PRINCETON,  Feb.  28,  1849. 

I  thank  you,  my  dear  brother,  for  the  kind  expressions  which  you 
employ  on  the  prospect  of  my  retiring  from  office.  I  am,  indeed, 
nearly  worn  out.  Far  advanced  in  my  eightieth  year,  I  have  outlived 
all  my  relatives,  and  all  my  own  expectations,  and  am  compassed 
about  with  so  many  infirmities  that  I  am  persuaded  a  longer  continu- 
ance in  office  would  be  in  no  respect  just,  either  to  the  Seminary  or 
myself.  Yet,  in  looking  forward  to  retirement  from  official  labor,  and 
especially  to  that  day  which  is  near  at  hand,  when  I  must  "  put  off 
this  tabernacle,"  I  desire  to  bless  God  for  the  humble  hope  which  I 
am  permitted  to  entertain,  that  I  have  so  good  a  home  to  go  to,  where 
there  will  be  no  more  infirmity,  and  especially  no  more  sin  ;  but  per- 
fect union  and  conformity  to  Him  who,  though  He  was  rich,  for  our 
sakes  became  poor,  that  we  through  His  poverty  might  be  rich. 

I  desire  to  unite  with  you,  my  dear  brother,  in  thanksgiving  to  the 
great  Head  of  the  Church,  that  our  beloved  Seminary  has  been  made 
so  useful  to  our  Zion,  by  training  so  large  a  portion  of  the  ministry 
under  the  same  teachers ;  and  I  hope  I  have  some  sincere  gratitude 
that  I  have  been  permitted  to  occupy  a  place,  and  take  some  humble 
part  in  this  hallowed  work.  But  I  can  truly  say  that  the  sentiment 
which  most  strongly  and  prominently  occupies  my  mind  is  that  of 
thankfulness  that  the  Lord  has  been  pleased  to  unite  me  with  col- 
leagues so  wise,  so  faithful,  so  much  superior  to  myself,  and  so  emi- 
nently adapted  to  be  a  blessing  to  the  Church.  I  consider  it  as  one 
of  the  greatest  blessings  of  my  life  to  be  united  with  such  men,  and 
pre-eminently  with  my  senior  colleague,  whose  wisdom,  prudence, 
learning  and  peculiar  piety  have  served  as  an  aid  and  guide  to  my- 
self, as  well  as  to  others.  I  desire  to  leave  it  on  record,  for  the  eye 
of  intimate  friendship,  that  in  my  own  estimation  my  union  with 
these  beloved  men  has  been  the  means  of  adding  to  my  own  respect- 
ability and  my  own  usefulness  far  more  than  I  could  ever,  humanly 
speaking,  have  attained,  either  alone  or  in  association  with  almost 
any  other  men.  I  desire  especially  to  feel  thankful  that  I  ever  saw 
the  face  of  my  venerated  senior  colleague.  He  has  been  for  thirty- 
six  years,  to  me  a  counsellor,  a  guide,  a  prop  and  a  stay,  under  God, 


JET.  52.]        DEATH  OF  HIS  SENIO.R  COLLEAGUES.  381 

to  a  degree  which  it  would  not  be  easy  for  -me  to  estimate  or  acknow- 
ledge. 

[The  union  in  our  Faculty  has  been  complete.  And  the  solid  basis 
of  the  whole  has  been  a  perfect  agreement  on  the  part  of  all  of  us  in 
an  honest  subscription  to  our  doctrinal  formularies.  There  has  been 
no  discrepance — no  pulling  in  different  directions."! 

Hoping  to  see  you  in  a  few  days,  I  am,  my  dear  sir,  your  friend 
and  brother  in  Christian  bonds, 

SAMUEL  MILLER. 

In  his  article  on  the  Memoir  of  Dr.  A.  Alexander,  in  the 
January  No.  of  the  Princeton  Review  for  1855,  Dr.  Hodge 
says :  "  Having  incidentally  mentioned  the  name  of  Dr. 
Miller,  we  may  be  permitted  to  pause  and  in  a  sentence  pay 
our  humble  tribute  to  that  sainted  man.  He  could  be  ap- 
preciated only  by  those  who  knew  him  intimately,  who  saw 
him  day  by  day,  and  year  in  and  year  out,  in  all  circum- 
stances suited  to  try  and  to  reveal  the  true  character.  We 
have  never  heard  any  one  who  enjoyed  such  means  of 
knowing  him,  speak  of  him  otherwise  than  as  one  of  the 
holiest  of  men.  May  the  writer  be  further  pardoned  for  ob- 
truding himself  for  a  moment,  so  far  as  to  say,  that  during 
twenty-nine  years  of  intimate  official  association  with  these 
two  venerated  men,  he  never  saw  the  slightest  discourtesy, 
unkindness  nor  acerbity  manifested  by  the  one  towards  the 
other ;  and  that  he  never  heard  a  disparaging  remark  from 
the  one  in  reference  to  the  other.  Thank  God,  Princeton 
Seminary  has  a  history!  The  past  is  safe.  The  memory 
of  the  two  eminent  men  who  were  its  first  professors, 
and  who  gave  it  character,  rest  over  it  as  a  halo,  and  men 
will  tread  its  halls  for  their  sake  with  something  of  the 
feeling  with  which  they  visit  the  tombs  of  the  good  and 
the  great."  ' 

That  Dr.  Hodge  was  worthy  by  the  endowments  of  Pro- 
vidence, and  by  the  gifts  of  grace  of  his  place  in  that  circle 
of  the  first  three  professors,  and  to  be  associated  with  the 
colleagues  he  ardently  loved  and  venerated,  will  be  shown 
hereafter  by  the  testimony  of  those  surviving  colleagues, 


382  DEA  TH  OF  HIS  SENIOR  COLLEA  G  UES.  [1851. 

who  so  long  delighted  in  him  as  their  friend  and  academic 
head. 

The  relation  which  Dr.  Hodge  sustained  to  Dr.  Archibald 
Alexander  has  been  plainly  disclosed  in  the  foregoing  me- 
moranda. He  was  noticed  as  a  school-boy,  and  made  a 
companion  of  rides  and  of  distant  journeys.  He  was  chosen 
as  an  assistant,  and  for  two  years  made  an  inmate  of  the 
family.  He  was  chosen  as  a  colleague,  and  habitually  and 
intimately  consulted  and  counseled  in  all  the  public  and 
private  interests  of  either.  He  was  chosen  to  be  his  suc- 
cessor in  the  chair  of  Didactic  Theology.  And  now,  when 
the  aged  saint  came  to  die,  his  disciple  and  successor  was 
summoned  (October  I2th,  1851),  to  his  side.  Dr.  Alexan- 
der held  out  his  hand  and  called  him  his  son.  In  another 
interview  he  transferred  to  him  the  account  book  of  the 
scholarships,  and  told  him  what  he  wished  to  be  done  in 
respect  to  them,  and  handed  him  a  white  bone  walking- 
stick,  carved  and  presented  to  him  by  one  of  the  chiefs  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  said,  "  You  must  hand  this  to 
your  successor  in  office,  that  it  may  be  handed  down  as  a 
kind  of  symbol  of  orthodoxy."  When  he  dismissed  him 
from  the  first  interview  he  said, "  Now  my  dear  son,  farewell." 

I  saw  my  father  when  he  returned  from  that  interview, 
standing  in  his  study  in  an  agony  of  weeping,  exclaiming, 
"It  is  all  past,  the  glory  of  our  Seminary  has  departed." 
At  the  funeral  he  walked  with  the  sons,  claiming  to  be  a 
true  son  also.j 

DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Oct.  15,  1851. 

My  Dear  Brother : — We  begin  to  be  very  much  concerned  about 
our  dear  venerated  Doctor  Alexander.  Four  weeks  ago  he  was 
seized  with  a  debilitating  sickness,  and  although  the  violence  of  the 
attack  has  abated,  his  stomach  seems  to  be  giving  out,  his  appetite  is 
gone,  so  that  food  is  unpleasant  to  him,  and  he  is  very  feeble, 
should  he  live  to  April  he  will  be  eighty  years  old.  Last  week  he 
drove  out  several  times,  and  I  thought  he  was  getting  well.  On  Sun- 


MT.  53.]        DEATH  OF  HIS  SENIOR  COLLEAGUES.  383 

day  afternoon  he  sent  for  me.  I  found  him  lying  on  the  sofa  in  his 
study,  and  when  I  came  near  to  him  he  put  out  his  hand  and  said, 
"  My  dear  son,  I  have  a  few  things  to  say  to  you,  to  which  I  wish  you 
to  listen  without  making  any  reply."  He  then  went  on  to  say  "  that 
those  around  him  thought  he  was  improving,  but  his  own  strong  per- 
suasion was  that  his  end  was  drawing  nigh ;  that  he  was  going  just 
as  Mr.  Samuel  Bayard  went,  from  utter  failure  of  the  stomach  ;  that 
he  had  thought  much  on  the  subject  and  had  arrived  at  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  was  best  for  him  to  leave  the  world  now.  He  had  done 
his  work.  After  eighty  he  had  never  known  a  man  to  be  useful,  and 
he  did  not  think  it  desirable  for  him  to  live  and  drag  on  a  few  years 
more  a  burden  to  himself  and  others."  He  said,  "  I  wish  you  to 
know  my  views  of  my  case  now,  and  I  want  to  speak  to  you  while  I 
have  strength.  I  consider  it  one  of  my  greatest  blessings  that  I  have 
been  able  to  bring  you  forward,  and  now,  my  dear  son,  farewell. 
You  will  not  see  me  again."  I  was,  as  you  may  suppose,  greatly 
humbled  and  affected  by  this  address  from  the  man  to  whom  I  owe 
so  much.  I  sank  on  my  knees  by  him  and  kissed  his  hand.  He  told 
me  to  pray.  I  did  so  for  a  few  sentences.  He  said,  with  emphasis, 
"Amen,"  and  again  giving  me  his  hand  said,  "  farewell." 

This  is  for  your  eye  alone.  Burn  this  letter.  I  should  be  deeply 
mortified  that  this  record  of  the  parental  tenderness  and  partiality  of 
the  old  gentleman  should  ever  be  seen.  It  is  forty  years  next  spring 
since  I  first,  as  a  boy,  attracted  his  notice.  ,  He  has  ever  since  acted 
to  me  as  a  father,  and  God  has  given  me  grace  to  love  and  revere 
him  as  a  child  would  such  a  father.  I  believe  I  have  never  offended 
him,  or  hurt  his  feelings.  I  cannot  prevent  this  solemn  interview 
having  a  very  strong  impression  upon  my  feelings  as  to  the  prospect 
of  his  recovery,  though  I  know  he  is  often  disposed  to  take  gloomy 
views. 

Every  thing  is  covered  with  gloom  here  now.  It  is  a  sad  season 
of  the  year — the  hour  of  desolation  is  drawing  near  again, — and  the 
prospect  ofLthe  patriarchal  head  of  our  Church  and  Seminary]  being 
taken  away  makes  us  feel  very  sad.  The  nearest  circle  to  Dr.  Alex- 
ander is  his  family,  the  next  the  Seminary,  the  next  his  thousand 
living  former  pupils,  and  next  the  ministers  and  members  of  the 
Church.  Jle  is  the  centre  of  all,  and  the  same  feeling,  decreasing 
of  course  according  to  its  diffusion,  pervades  the  whole.  ] 

Your  brother,  CHARLES  HODGE.    . 


CHAPTER  X. 


FROM    THE    DEATH    OF    DR.  ARCHIBALD    ALEXANDER,   1851,   TO 
THE   COMMENCEMENT    OF   THE    CIVIL   WAR,    1 86 1. 


A.  MEMBER  OF  THE  BOARDS  OF  THE  CHURCH — TRUSTEE  OF  THE  COLLEGE 
OF  NEW  JERSEY— METHODS  OF  TEACHING— SECOND  MARRIAGE— CORRES- 
PONDENCE WITH  HIS  BROTHER,  POLITICS— DANCING  AND  CARD  PLAYING 
— THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  INFANTS  OF  NON-PROFESSORS—COMMENTARIES — 
ARTICLES  IN  THE  Princeton  Review  (l)  ON  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLIES — 
THE  RELATION  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  MISSIONS  TO  THE  PRESBYTERIES— 
THE  CONSTITUTIONALITY  OF  OUR  BOARDS — COMMISSIONS — THE  ADOPTION 
OF  THE  CONFESSION  OF  FAITH — RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION,  AND  THE  RELI- 
GIOUS AMENDMENT  TO  THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES — (II.) 
FREE  AGENCY,  INSPIRATION,  ETC. — (ill.)  PRESBYTERIAN  LITURGIES— ( IV.) 
"THE  Princeton  Review  AND  COUSIN'S  PHILOSOPHY" — (V.)  REVIEW  OF 

BISHOP  M'ILVAINEON  THE  CHURCH— (vi.)  HIS  ARTICLES  ON  THE  CHURCH 

AND  ELDER  QUESTION — CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.  WM.  CUNNINGHAM 
AND  BISHOP  JOHNS — THE  DEATH  OF  DRS.  JAMES  W.  AND  JOSEPH  A.  ALEX- 
ANDER— LETTER  OF  DR.  R.  L.  DABNEY— ELECTION  OF  HIS  SON,  C.  W. 
HODGE,  AS  PROFESSOR  OF  N.  T.  LITERATURE,  ETC.— HIS  GREAT  DEBATE 
WITH  DR.  THORNWELL  IN  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY  OF  l86l. 


DURING  these  years  Dr.  Hodge  was  active  in  the  public 
counsels  of  the  church.  He  became  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  in  1846;  and  in  1868  he  was 
elected  President  of  that  Board  to  succeed  Dr.  Spring,  and 
acted  as  such  until  the  reconstruction  of  the  Boards,  conse- 
quent upon  the  Reunion  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  1870. 
Dr.  Ellinwood  writes,  "We  regard  your  father  as  one  of  the 
very  ablest  and  most  earnest  supporters  of  the  cause  of 
Foreign  Missions  we  ever  had  in  the  Presbyterian  Church." 
He  preached  the  sermon  before  the  Board  in  the  Church  on 
384 


&T.  53-]          TR  USTEE  OF  PRINCE  TON  COLLE  GE.  385 

University  Place  on  Sabbath  evening,  May  /th,  1848,  on 
Matt.  28:  19,  20,  on  "the  teaching  office  of  the  Church." 
It  was  afterwards  published  in  the  Report  of  that  year,  and 
was  considered  as  a  signal  exposition  of  the  fundamental 
principles  on  which  Christian  missions  should  be  conducted. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions  from 
about  1840  to  1870. 

He  also  acted  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education, 
from  1 86 1,  and  as  President  of  it  from  1862  to  the  Recon- 
struction of  the  Board  consequent  on  Reunion.  He  was 
made  one  of  the  Vice-Presidents  of  the  Presbyterian  His- 
torical Society  in  May  1852,  and  a  Trustee  of  Princeton 
College  in  the  place  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  de- 
ceased in  1850. 

TRUSTEE    OF    PRINCETON    COLLEGE. 

His  work  as  a  Trustee  in  the  College,  often  taxed  all 
the  energies  of  his  heart  and  will.  Professor  Lyman  H. 
Atwater,  D.D.,  writes  of  Dr.  Hodge  that  "he  took  a 
foremost  rank  in  the  Board  from  the  first,  and  wielded  a 
commanding  influence  in  its  proceedings.  His  efforts  were 
especially  directed  to  filling  vacancies  in  the  professors' 
chairs  with  able  incumbents  and  to  increasing  the  corps  of 
instructors  as  rapidly  as  funds  for  the  purpose  could  be  pro- 
cured, and  in  maintaining  a  due  proportion  in  the  relative 
strength  of  the  different  departments,  especially  in  main- 
taining the  importance  of  the  languages  and  the  humanities 
in  competition  with  the  pressure  of  the  physical  sciences." 

His  Co-trustee,  Dr.  Win.  M.  Paxton  writes,  "Considering 
the  fact  of  Dr.  Hodge's  antecedents  and  associations,  it  is  no 
wonder,  that  as  a  Trustee  of  the  College  for  the  long  period 
of  twenty-seven  years,  he  should  feel  his  whole  life  bound 
up  in  the  interests  of  that  institution.  During  the  last  twelve 
years,  it  has  been  my  privilege  to  be  associated  with  him  as 
a  member  of  that  Board,  and  it  was  a  pleasure  to  observe 
the  fatherly — I  might  perhaps  say  the  Patriarchal — interest 
25 


386  TRUSTEE  OF  PRINCETON  COLLEGE.  [1850. 

he  manifested  in  everything  connected  with  the  prosperity 
of  the  College.  He  understood  its  history,  the  questions 
of  policy  connected  with  its  management,  its  dangers  and 
the  conditions  of  its  prosperity  as  the  younger  members  of 
the  Board  could  not.  Hence  he  was  always  listened  to  with 
the  profoundest  attention,  and  his  judgment  in  many  cases 
of  difficulty  had  great  weight  in  deciding  the  action  of  the 
Board.  There  were  two  points  about  which  he  manifested 
special  solicitude.  The  1st  was  the  maintenance  of  the  religions 
character  of  the  College.  It  was  founded  for  religious  pur- 
poses. It  was  sustained  by  the  prayers,  activities  and  con- 
tributions of  God's  people  as  an  institution  for  Christian 
education,  and  especially  for  the  training  of  young  men  for 
the  Christian  Ministry.  It  has  enjoyed  throughout  its 
history  the  blessing  of  God,  in  numerous  and  powerful 
revivals,  and  in  the  character  and  influence  of  the  ministers 
and  devout  laymen  educated  in  her  halls.  Dr.  Hodge  fre- 
quently referred  to  these  facts  and  insisted  that  they  never 
should  be  lost  sight  of  in  the  settlement  of  any  question 
of  policy.  He  urged  it  upon  the  Board  that  they  should 
make  the  religious  character  of  the  College  the  first  great 
aim  of  its  administration. 

"  He  appeared  to  apprehend  as  a  definite  possibility  the 
operation  of  causes  by  which  this  seat  of  learning  might 
be  perverted  from  the  purpose  to  which  it  had  been  con- 
secrated by  so  many  prayers. 

"  2d.  The  other  point  which  interested  the  mind  of  Dr. 
Hodge  was  the  maintenance  of  a  high  grade  of  scholarship 
in  the  College.  He  had  a  dread  of  a  little  as  well  as  of 
an  unsanctified  learning.  The  completion  of  his  own  edu- 
cation in  Germany  furnished  him  with  the  standard  of  the 
higher  culture  attained  in  the  European  universities.  Hence 
he  was  anxious  to  advance  prudently,  but  as  rapidly  as 
possible  the  standard  of  learning  in  our  colleges  as  a  pre- 
paration for  all  the  diversified  enterprises  of  American  life. 

"  But  he  especially  desired  to  provide  a  remedy  for  the 


-ST.  53.]  METHODS  OF  TEACHING.  38? 

deficient  classical  culture,  which  has  hitherto  been  so  pain- 
fully prevalent  among  the  graduates  of  our  Colleges, 
who  seek  to  enter  the  learned  professions.  His  own  ex- 
perience as  a  theological  professor  had  discovered  to  him 
how  many  of  the  candidates  for  our  ministry  have  great 
difficulty  in  reading  the  Greek  of  the  New  Testament  and 
the  simple  Latin  of  Turretine's  Institutes.  I  am  glad  to  be 
able  to  express  his  views  upon  this  subject,  because  it  is  one 
of  the  vital  points  connected  with  our  present  educational 
systems.  If  the  furor  for  scientific  courses  and  the  study  of 
the  modern  languages  is  to  displace  the  study  of  the  classics 
then  we  must  look  for  a  great  change  in  the  mental  culture 
of  the  coming  age.  The  purpose  of  education  is  to 
develop  mental  power.  I  believe  that  the  experience  of  the 
past  has  shown  that  the  best  mental  development  is  attained 
by  the  study  of  the  classics  and  mathematics.  Each  of  these 
studies  has  its  peculiar  influence,  and  it  requires  the  balance 
of  the  two  to  produce  the  kind  of  development  and  culture 
in  which  grace,  strength  and  efficiency  are  conjoined.  We 
ought  not  to  be  too  ready  to  forsake  the  methods  of  our 
fathers,  for  '  there  were  giants  in  those  days.' " 

METHODS   OF   TEACHING. 

During  these  years  Dr.  Hodge  matured  his  methods  of 
instruction.  His  exegetical  exercises  with  the  Junior  classes 
continued  throughout  his  life  to  be  very  much  what  they 
were  before  his  change  of  professorship.  Through  successive 
years  he  accomplished  the  exposition  of  all  the  Pauline 
Epistles,  except  those  to  Timothy  and  Titus,  but  going  most 
frequently  over  the  doctrinal  portions  of  Romans,  I.  Corin- 
thians, Galatians  and  Ephesians.  An  account  of  the  main 
characteristics  of  his  exegetical  teaching  will  be  given  in  a 
subsequent  chapter  by  one  of  his  ablest  and  most  accom- 
plished pupils.  At  the  period  at  which  the  present  chapter 
commences,  his  theological  lectures  were  fully  written  out, 
and  were  habitually  read  by  him  in  a  quiet  manner.  From 


388  METHODS  OF  TEACHING.  [1853. 

year  to  year  they  were  rewritten,  being  thoroughly  recast, 
and  much  enriched  and  extended,  but  his  method  of  teach- 
ing for  many  years  continued  unchanged.  The  lecture  was 
delivered  on  a  topic  on  one  day,  and  at  another  within  the 
same  week,  the  entire  hour  was  devoted  to  his  matchless 
cross-examination.  He  soon  gave  up  in  despair,  his  former 
most  excellent  method  of  requiring  all  to  make  up  systems 
of  theology  for  themselves  in  the  form  of  written  answers  to 
questions  covering  the  entire  course,  because  by  this  time 
each  student  was  possessed  of  a  written  copy  of  the  lectures 
before  they  were  read,  and  copied  to  the  professor's  ques- 
tions answers  in  his  own  words.  Hence  often  the  method 
became  irksome  alike  to  him  and  to  his  classes,  for  they 
sat  reading  with  their  eyes  for  the  most  part  the  same  sen- 
tences they  heard  read  from  the  desk.  He  often  proposed 
to  print  his  lectures  that  he  might  use  them  as  a  text-book, 
but  was  restrained  by  the  counsel  of  his  most  trusted  ad- 
visers among  the  Directors  of  the  Seminary,  who  feared 
that  if  these  lectures  were  given  to  the  public,  they  would  in 
ceasing  to  be  the  peculiar  attribute  of  this  Seminary,  cease 
also  to  attract  students  to  its  classes.  But  in  his  last  years, 
when  his  "  Systematic  Theology"  was  the  common  property 
of  the  Church,  and  it  was  made  the  text-book  in  Princeton, 
as  it  was  also  in  several  other  theological  schools,  he  felt  as 
if  set  free,  and  his  power  as  a  teacher  greatly  increased.  His 
great  skill  as  a  teacher  found  its  fullest  play  in  the  exercise 
of  his  gift  for  questioning,  and  by  that  means  of  compelling 
the  student  to  think,  and  to  refute  himself  if  wrong,  or  to 
develop  his  own  thought  into  completeness  if  right.  He 
always  maintained  that  the  true  method  of  teaching  didactic 
theology,  involves  the  use  of  the  text-book,  the  living 
teacher,  practice  in  writing,  and  an  active  drill  in  verbal 
questions  and  debates. 

The  following  paper  originating  from  some  of  his  most  in- 
telligent students,  and  his  own  letter  in  response  to  a  request 
to  him  by  the  Rev.  Wm.  S.  Plumer,  D.D.,  for  suggestions 


JET.  55.]  METHODS  OF  TEACHING.  389 

as  to  the  method  of  conducting  the  instruction  of  classes  in 
his  branch,  will  explain  themselves  in  the  light  of  what  I 
have  just  said. 

PRINCETON  THEOL.  SEM.,  Feb.  19,  1853. 
PROF.  CHARLES  HODGE. 

Dear  Sir : — The  different  classes  of  the  Seminary,  in  meetings 
held  during  the  present  week,  resolved  to  request  of  you  a  Syllabus 
of  your  Lectures  on  Theology,  to  be  printed  for  the  use  of  the  stu- 
dents ;  and  appointed  committees  to  convey  to  you  their  request. 
We,  the  members  of  those  committees,  would  respectfully  submit  the 
following  as  some  of  the  reasons  suggested  as  giving  urgency  and 
propriety  to  such  requests. 

1.  From  the  amount  of  matter  and  the  condensed  form  of  your 
lectures,  notes  taken  in  the  class-room  afford  a  very  inadequate  and 
unsatisfactory  guide  in  the  prosecution  of  our  studies  in  theology. 
Most  of  your  students,  satisfied  of  this,  have  been  constrained  to  re- 
sort to  the  use  of  manuscript  copies  of  your  lectures. 

2.  These  manuscript  copies  present  to  our  minds  several  objec- 
tionable features.     Copied  by  students,  the  manual  labor  is  injurious 
to  health  and  eyesight,  and  consumes  important  time  that  should  be 
given  to  study  and  investigation.     Transcribed  by  copyists,  the  ex- 
pense places  them  beyond  the  reach  of  the  great  majority  of  the  stu- 
dents.    Besides,  they  are  the  occasion  of  various  abuses.     Professing 
to  be  exact  copies,  they  lead  to  the  neglect  of  investigation  and  of 
the  study  of  collateral  works,  so  important  in  itself  and  so  often  re- 
commended by  our  Professor.     Carried  by  students  to  different  parts 
of  the  country,  they  tend,  by  their  many  errors,  to  create  misappre- 
hension as  to  the  doctrines  taught  in  this  Seminary,  a  result  which 
we,  in  common  with  our  Professors,  greatly  deprecate. 

3.  A  printed  Syllabus,  besides  promoting  original  research  and 
compelling  more  close  and  vigorous  study,  seems  to  us  the  proper 
corrective  of  such  evils.     Moreover,  printed  and  not  published,  it 
can  scarcely  seem  liable  to  objection,  as  the  premature  publication 
of  a  System  of  Theology ;  but  even  this  objection  seems  to  be  met 
by  the  consideration  that  it  would  avert  the  danger  of  a  surreptitious 
publication  from  imperfect  copies  already  so  widely  circulated. 

Such,  sir,  are  some  of  the  reasons  which  have  induced  this  expres- 
sion of  a  desire  presented  now  with  entire  unanimity,  and  (we  feel 
assured)  entertained  for  years  by  the  students  and  graduates  of  the 
Seminary. 

Hoping  that  this  communication  may  not  fail  of  its  end,  and  trust- 


METHODS  OF  TEACHING.  [1854. 


ing  that  in  presenting  it  we  may  not  appear  presumptuous,  or  as  ex- 

ceeding the  propriety  of  our  position, 
We  remain,  with  very  great  respect, 

Truly  yours, 

JOHN  E.  DAVIDSON, 
JAMES  M.  PLATT  —  ist  Class, 
THOMAS  R.  MARKHAM, 
E.  D.  JUNKIN—  2d  Class. 
E.  KEMPSHALL, 
P.  A.  STUDDIFORD  —  30?  Class. 

DR.  HODGE  TO  REV.  WM.  S.  PLUMER,  D.  D. 

PRINCETON,  N.  J.,  July  25,  1854, 

r  Rev.  and  Dear  Brother  :  —  I  sincerely  rejoice  that  Providence  has 
opened  for  you  a  field  of  labor  so  congenial  to  your  tastes,  and 
which  promises  so  much  for  your  future  usefulness  and  comfort. 

I  fear  I  shall  not  be  able  to  make  any  suggestions  such  as  you  re- 
fer to  in  your  letter  of  the  2oth  inst.,  which  will  be  of  much  value  to 
you.  It  may  be  the  best  thing  I  can  do  simply  to  recite  my  experi- 
ence, or  the  course  which  I  pursued,  when  called  to  teach  theology. 

For  some  years  after  I  was  assigned  to  the  theological  chair,  Dr. 
Alexander  continued  to  give  his  lectures,  and  I  was  simply  the  cate- 
chist.  That  is,  I  catechised  the  class  on  the  several  subjects  without 
reference  to  the  Doctor's  lectures.  He  was  often  lecturing  on  one 
subject  while  I  was  examining  upon  another.  The  two  courses  of  in- 
struction were  therefore  independent  of  each  other. 

The  method  I  adopted  in  preparing  for  these  exercises  was  to  read 
everything  I  could  command  on  the  subject  in  hand,  making  notes 
of  each  author.  From  these  notes  I  prepared  a  logical  analysis  of 
the  topic  under  consideration,  and  that  analysis  was  my  guide  in  ex- 
amining the  class.  Of  course  all  such  examinations  called  for  ex- 
planations and  remarks  as  we  went  along. 

When  the  whole  department  was  thrown  upon  me  I  endeavored  to 
unite  the  advantages  of  the  three  methods  of  lectures,  catechetical 
examination  i*nd  writing.  I  lectured  regularly  on  the  whole  course, 
spent  the  next  day  of  meeting  the  class  in  questioning  them  on  the 
subject  of  the  preceding  lecture,  and  gave  out  a  list  of  questions  in 
writing,  to  which  I  urged  them  to  write  answers  in  extenso.  I  still 
think  this  a  good  plan,  if  it  could  be  carried  out  as  it  was  here  for 
several  years.  The  practical  difficulties  which  have  gradually  ac- 
cumulated are  these,  which  very  much  impair  its  value  : 

First,  The  students  taking  notes  of  the  lectures  have  come,  in  a 


^T.56.]  METHODS  OF  TEACHING.  391 

succession  of  years,  to  have  almost  complete  copies  of  them.  I  am 
subjected,  therefore,  to  the  embarrassment  of  reading  lectures,  copies 
of  which  many  members  of  the  class  hold  in  their  hands.  This  I  find 
a  great  bore.  How  the  difficulty  is  to  be  avoided  I  do  not  know.  It 
is  the  same  in  other  Seminaries. 

Secondly,  The  students,  instead  of  writing  answers  to  the  questions 
given  to  them,  after  studying  and  reflecting  for  themselves,  in  most 
cases  simply  transcribe  the  copies  of  the  lectures  which  are  handed 
down  to  them  by  the  preceding  classes. 

The  result  is  that  the  interest  in  the  lectures  and  in  the  written  ex- 
ercise has  greatly  decreased,  while  that  in  the  oral  questioning  re- 
mains. For  several  years  no  one  has  come  to  the  lecture  who  could 
help  it ;  whereas  the  room  is  commonly  crowded  at  the  oral  exami- 
nations. I  am  at  a  loss  how  to  get  over  this  difficulty. 

The  two  defects  of  my  system  of  instruction  of  which  I  am  most 
sensible  are,  first,  that  the  students  are  not  rendered  familiar  with 
proof  texts,  so  as  to  quote  and  recite  them  readily  when  called  upon. 
I  believe  they  have  a  real  Scriptural  foundation  for  their  faith,  but 
this  they  get  rather  by  reading  whole  books  of  Scripture  in  their 
connection  than  by  getting  proof  texts  by  heart. 

The  second  deficiency  I  had  in  mind  is  the  lack  of  information  as 
to  theological  works.  I  frequently  lecture  on  a  subject,  question  the 
class,  and  give  out  written  questions  and  mention  no  author  what- 
ever. It  does  not,  somehow,  come  in  my  way,  and  when  done,  it  is 
done  of  set  purpose. 

Your  question  as  to  what  books  I  have  found  most  useful  I  really 
know  not  how  to  answer.  I  have  read,  generally,  everything  I  could 
on  each  topic,  orthodox  and  heterodox,  and  got  what  good  I  could 
from  each.  Turretine's  Institutes  I  regard  as  incomparably  the  best 
book  as  a  whole  on  systematic  theology,  but  on  the  subjects  of  the 
attributes  of  God,  Trinity,  sin,  atonement,  grace,  etc.,  the  books,  you 
know,  are  endless,  and  I  have  no  such  estimate  of  particular  treatises 
as  to  lead  me  to  point  them  out  as  especially  important.  At  least, 
you  need  nothing  of  the  kind  from  me. 

With  sincere  desire  for  your  usefulness,  success  and  happiness,  I 

am,  very  truly,  your  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

HIS    SECOND    MARRIAGE. 

On  the  eighth  of  July,  1852,  he  contracted  his  second 
marriage  with  Mrs.  Mary  Hunter  Stockton,  widow  of  the 
late  Lieutenant  Samuel  Witham  Stockton,  of  the  United 


392  HIS  SECOND  MARRIAGE.  [1852. 

States  Navy,  and  sister  of  Major  General  David  Hunter  and 
of  Dr.  Lewis  B.  Hunter,  of  the  United  States  Army  and  Navy. 
This  noble  Christian  lady  supported  and  brightened  all  his 
later  life,  and  assiduously  attended  him  with  her  tender 
ministrations  until  his  eyes  closed  in  death.  She  has  been 
an  admirable  mother  to  his  children,  and  head  of  his  house- 
hold, uniting  the  family  and  completing  the  education  and 
training  of  its  younger  members  in  a  manner  their  own 
mother  would  not  have  desired  to  excel.  She  survived  him 
for  twenty  months,  presiding  in  his  place  in  the  large  fam- 
ily circle,  preserving  with  us  the  traditions  and  associations 
sacred  to  his  memory,  the  object  of  the  affection  and  grati- 
tude of  all  their  children.  Left  by  his  death  as  a  stricken 
deer,  she  had  no  desire  to  live.  Through  much  pain,  yet 
with  unwavering  faith,  she  went  to  rejoin  him  on  the  early 
morning  of  February  28th,  1880. 

On  the  occasion  of  their  marriage  Dr.  Hodge  wrote  to 
his  dearest  friend,  Bishop  Johns  : 

DR.  HODGE  TO  BISHOP  JOHNS. 

PRINCETON,  August  27,  1852. 

My  Dear  Johns  : — You  would  not  have  heard  of  my  marriage  from 
others  before  hearing  of  it  from  me  had  I  known  where  to  address 
you.  It  was  only  a  month  or  two  before  the  event  that  I  could  bring 
myself  to  inform  my  own  children  of  my  purpose.  Other  friends  I 
intended  to  inform  afterwards.  I  do  not  know  that  you  remember 
Mary  Hunter,  the  constant  companion  of  Caroline  Bayard  (now  Mrs. 
Dod).  I  have  known  her  by  sight  since  she  was  fifteen  years  old. 
For  the  last  six  or  seven  years  she  was  a  sister  to  Sarah,  and  therefore 
to  me.  She  was  familiarly  known  and  greatly  loved  by  all  my  chil- 
dren, who  were  almost  as  much  at  home  in  her  house  as  in  my  own. 
She  has  come  into  my  family  as  an  old  friend,  every  heart  already 
her  own,  and  we  all  feel  her  presence  as  a  token  and  assurance  of 
God's  favor. 

I  told  her  what  kind  of  a  man  you  were,  and  she  said,  "  Well,  as 
I  don't  know  him,  I  can't  love  him  desperately  yet ;  as  soon  as  I  see 
him  I'll  do  my  best."  Her  best  is  very  good,  indeed  ;  so  you  may  be 
sure  of  an  affectionate  greeting  from  her,  as  well  as  from  your  old 
friend,  when  you  pay  your  promised  visit.  Dear  John,  do  not  let  that 


JET.  54.]    CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  BROTHER.  393 

visit  be  only  for  a  day.  Old  friendship  deserves  more  than  that,  and 
remember  I  spent  ten  days  with  you  in  Richmond  as  meek  as  a 
mouse,  never  answering  to  all  your  sharp  things  out  of  deference  to 
your  wife.  It  will  greatly  add  to  our  pleasure  if  Mrs.  Johns  will  come 
with  you,  and  the  girls  also.  Hope  deferred,  &c. 

I  have  already  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Peterkin,  and  have 
heard  him  preach.  He  has  made  an  exceedingly  pleasant  impression 
on  his  church  and  on  the  community.  Every  one  speaks  well  of  him, 
and  his  people  seem  disposed  to  receive  him  with  confidence  and  af- 
fection. There  are  some  High-church  persons  among  them  who 
think  he  is  below  the  mark  in  some  things;  but  even  they  speak 
highly  of  him  as  a  man  and  preacher. 

Your  affectionate  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS  BROTHER. 
During  these  years  he  continued  to  keep  up  his  weekly 
correspondence  with  his  brother.  In  the  latter  years  of  this 
period,  from  about  1856,  his  letters  began  sensibly  to  de- 
crease in  frequency  and  length,  until  some  years  before  the 
death  of  his  brother,  in  February,  1873,  they  had  ceased  to 
be  regular,  and  became  occasional.  The  cause  of  this  was, 
in  part,  increasing  infirmity,  resulting  from  advancing  age 
on  both  sides,  but  especially  the  increasing  defect  of  his 
brother's  vision,  which  resulted  in  blindness  so  far  entire  as 
to  prevent  all  reading  or  writing  more  than  ten  years  before 
his  decease.  The  following  are  given  as  specimens  of  this 
correspondence  and  of  his  political  opinions  : 

DR.  HODGE   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  July  8,  1850. 

My  Dear  Brother ; —  *  •*###•*  \  hear  you  are  a  Fillmore  man. 
That  is  better  than  going  for  Buchanan.  I  am  for  Fremont.  Not 
for  the  man,  but  for  the  platform.  I  would  not  vote  for  my  father  if 
he  endorsed  the  Cincinnati  resolutions  ;  and  Fillmore  has  committed 
himself  to  worse  nullification  than  South  Carolina  ever  dreamt  of.  He 
has  drawn  a  broader  line  between  the  North  and  South  than  was  ever 
drawn  before,  and  exalted  the  300,000  slave-holders  into  an  equiva- 
lent of  the  20,000,000  of  the  free  men,  entitled  to  an  equal  share  in 
the  government  of  the  country.  I  think  the  great  danger  to  the 


394  LOUIS  NAPOLEON  AND  KOSSUTH.  £1851. 

country^ and  to  the  cause  of  justice  and  good  government  is  from  the 
divisions  and  concessions  of  the  North.  If  Ohio  had  done  to  Ken- 
tucky what  Missouri  has  done  to  Kansas,  the  South  would  have  risen 
as  one  man  and  redressed  the  grievance.  And  if  the  North  had  risen 
as  one  man  and  told  the  South  that  Kansas  should  have  justice,  we 
should  have  had  no  difficulty. 

Your  brother,  C.  H. 


DR.    HODGE    TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  29,  1851. 

My  Dear  Brother : —  ******  My  view  of  the  character  of 
Louis  Napoleon  is  not  altered  by  recent  events.  He  is  a  name  and 
an  instrument  which  able  military  men  use  for  their  own  aggrandize- 
ment. The  army  in  all  ages  has  an  esprit  du  corps  which  makes 
them  a  distinct  class  from  the  people,  and  when  they  are  addressed 
as  the  elite  of  the  nation,  and  invited  by  their  official  head  to  become 
the  ruling  power,  it  is  rare  indeed  that  they  refuse,  France  seems  to 
me  like  a  great  bear  led  about  by  a  soldier  and  ridden  by  a  monkey, 
— if  it  be  not  wrong  to  speak  thus  of  rulers.  What  is  to  come  of  all 
this  God  only  knows.  The  choice  for  Europe  just  now  seems  to  be 
military  despotism  or  socialistic  anarchy,  and,  therefore,  it  is  not  won- 
derful that  so  many  are  willing  to  choose  the  former.  Hungary 
seems  to  present  the  only  prospect  of  rational  liberty,  because  the 
Hungarians  are  a  religious  people,  and  their  leaders  are  professed 
Christians.  I  am  filled  with  admiration  for  Kossuth,  and  cannot  but 
hope  that  God  means  him  to  be  a  great  instrument  for  good.  So  far 
from  regretting  his  coming  to  this  country,  I  think  his  visit  to  Eng- 
land and  America  is  likely  to  prove  a  turning  point  in  the  history  of 
the  world.  He  appears  to  be  chosen  and  fitted  to  impress  certain 
truths,  before  indistinctly  recognized,  as  living  principles  in  the  minds 
of  the  people,  which  must  hereafter  control  public  policy.  I  think 
his  principle  of  non-intervention,  and  the  right  of  all  nations  to  pre- 
vent the  violation  of  that  principle,  is  so  obviously  true,  and  so 
beneficent,  that  it  will  command  universal  consent.  In  our  case  the 
question  is  not  as  to  our  right  to  intervene  to  prevent  the  aggression 
of  Russia  ;  nor  as  to  our  duty  to  do  so  if  we  can  do  it  effectively,  but 
simply  as  to  our  power.  A  protest  would  do  little,  a  war  not  much 
more.  We  are  too  far  off.  But  if  by  union  with  other  nations  we  could 
so  intervene  as  to  make  our  intervention  effectual,  then  I  think  the 
path,  both  of  policy  and  duty,  would  be  plain. 

You  affectionate  brother,  C.  H. 


/ET.  54.]  KOSSUTH,  AND  LOUIS  NAPOLEON.  395 

DR.    HODGE   TO   HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Feb.  16,  1852. 

My  Dear  Brother: —  *  *  *  *  *  I  feel  provoked  at  the  way  Z 

talks  of  Kossuth.  It  is  just  as  absurd  and  arrogant  to  call  him  a 
humbug,  as  it  would  be  to  call  Newton  an  idiot,  or  Raphael  a  dauber. 

Z should  remember  other  men  have  eyes  and  ears  and  sense  as 

well  as  he.  Kossuth  is  beyond  question  one  of  the  greatest  men  of 
the  age,  whatever  may  be  thought  of  his  history  or  of  his  principles. 
And  as  to  his  principles,  I  do  not  believe  there  is  one  good  and  sen- 
sible man  in  a  hundred  who  doubts  their  soundness.  The  great 
mistake  is  that  people  do  not  distinguish  between  the  principles 
themselves  and  their  application.  It  may  be  very  unwise  for  us  as  a 
nation  to  interfere  as  he  would  have  us  do,  but  the  right  and  duty  to 
interfere  in  certain  cases,  when  it  can  be  done  effectually  and  safely, 
is  just  as  plain  as  that  it  is  the  right  and  duty  of  one  man  to  interfere 
to  prevent  another  man  murdering  his  neighbor.  There  is  in  the 
February  number  of  Dr.  Van  Rensselaer's  "  Presbyterian  Magazine." 
an  article  on  '\Kossuth  and  his  Mission"  which  I  think  takes  the  right 
ground. 

As  to  Louis  Napoleon,  I  am  not  prophet  enough  to  say  what  is  to 
happen.  He  has  on  his  side  four  of  the  six  classes  into  which  the 
French  population  is  divided  : — the  army,  the  priesthood,  the  peas- 
antry (who  are  governed  by  the  priesthood),  and  the  capitalists  or 
business  men.  These  constitute  the  vast  majority  of  the  people,  and 
by  the  instinct  of  self-preservation  cling  to  despotism  as  the  necessary 
condition  of  order.  The  only  class  against  him  is  that  of  professional 
men  (lawyers,  doctors,  politicians)  and  the  mechanics  or  working 
men  of  the  towns.  It  is  so  clear  to  me  that  liberty  can  exist  only  on 
the  foundation  of  intelligence  and  religion,  that  I  have  no  hope  for 
France,  where  the  intelligent  part  of  the  population  have  no  religion 
and  the  religious  part  no  intelligence.  It  seems,  however,  almost 
incredible  that  such  a  nation  can  submit  to  be  so  insulted,  abused, 
and  down-trodden  by  such  a  pretender  as  Louis  Napoleon. 

Your  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  April  14,  1852. 

My  Dear  Brother:— Six  weeks  does  indeed  seem  a  long  period  of 
non-intercourse  between  you  and  me.  It  did  not  use  to  be  so.  But 
circumstances,  habits,  and  powers  alter  even  when,  as  doubtless  is 
true  in  our  case,  the  affections  remain  unchanged.  It  is  painful,  how- 


396  DANCING  AND  CARD-PLAYING.  .  [1854. 

ever,  that  we  should  thus  drift  asunder  as  we  grow  older.  I  have  been 
rejoiced  several  times  to  hear  that  you  were  and  looked  better  than 
usual  this  winter,  notwithstanding  its  length  and  severity. 

You  see  from  the  papers  that  Senator  Choate  has  been  making  a 
great  speech  in  Trenton  on  the  India  rubber  case.  James  Alexander 
told  me  that  he  met  Chief  Justice  Green  of  Trenton  the  other  day, 
who  told  him  that  Choate  was  a  great  Princeton  man — that  he  thought 
the  Princeton  Review  the  greatest  quarterly  review  in  the  country ! ! ; 
and  Princeton  the  great  conservative  influence,  &c.,  &c.  What  do 
you  think  of  that  ?  I  did  not  know  that  our  rays  penetrated  so  far 
into  the  hyperborean  regions. 

DR.  HODGE  TO  HIS   BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  March  15,  1854. 

My  Dear  Brother  : — On  Sunday  evening  I  went  to  Church  for  the 
first  time  in  some  months.*  When  near  home  I  struck  my  foot 
against  a  stone  and  fell  with  great  force  on  my  lame  limb.  The  jar 
was  considerable,  and  has  made  the  limb  tender  and  painful,  very 
much  as  it  used  to  be.  I  rode  out  yesterday,  but  found  the  motion 
gave  me  the  same  kind  of  pain  I  used  to  suffer.  I  cannot  now  walk 
about  the  house  without  occasioning  more  pain  than  walking  two 
miles  occasioned  before  the  fall.  I  am  afraid  the  socket  of  the  hip 
joint  received  a  concussion  which  has  made  it  irritable,  though  the 
blow  and  bruise  were  presumably  below  the  knee. 

I  feel  somewhat  concerned  lest  this  accident  may  throw  me  back 
to  my  former  state  of  lameness,  though  I  hope  it  may  be  only  a  tem- 
porary inconvenience.  I  am,  however,  for  the  present  as  lame  as  I 
was  in  '43.  I  propose  keeping  as  quiet  as  possible  for  a  while,  and  to 
use  cold  water  and  rubbing.  Last  night  I  pushed  the  hydropathic 
system  to  the  extent  of  wrapping  my  limb  in  a  wet  towel  and  then  in 
flannel.  It  did  no  harm  that  I  could  perceive.  It  made  the  limb 
red,  the  pores  of  the  skin  seemed  dilated  and  raised,  and  a  little  rub- 
bing was  more  effective  than  a  good  deal  before. 

I  shall  be  really  sorry  to  be  again  laid  up.  I  trust  this  may  not  be. 
Dr.  Duff  has  again  disappointed  us.  He  is  not  to  come  for  a  month. 
This  makes  it  doubtful  whether  we  shall  see  him  at  all. 

DANCING   AND   CARD-PLAYING. 

An  old  pupil,  the  Rev.  Wm.  C .,  had  consulted  him 

on  a  case  of  discipline  likely  to  come  up  on  appeal  to  the 

*  Sabbath  morning  and  afternoon  he  worshipped  in  the  Seminary,  Chapel  and 
Oratory. 


^T.  55-]  DANCING  AND  CARD  PLAYING.  397 

General  Assembly,  involving  the  question  of  dancing  and 
worldly  amusements.     As  his  former  letter  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 

C .  had  been  misunderstood  and  hence  misrepresented, 

Dr.  Hodge  wrote  again  and  very  explicitly: 


DR.    HODGE    TO    REV.    WM.    C . 

PRINCETON,  April  ist,  1853. 

Dear  Sir : —  *  *  *  I  very  much  regret  that  the  matter  is  coming 
up.  It  is  a  very  serious  matter  to  transfer  a  local  difficulty  and  agita- 
tion to  the  whole  Church.  If  this  controversy  has  done  harm  in  your 
neighborhood,  it  will  do  harm  in  a  much  larger  theatre.  There  are 
the  same  elements  of  disagreement  in  the  Assembly  that  exist  in  your 
Presbytery. 

Again,  it  is  very  doubtful  how  the  Assembly  will  decide.  The 
question  does  not  come  up  in  the  abstract,  but  in  the  concrete.  It  is 
not  a  principle  to  be  decided,  but  a  given  case  with  all  its  circum- 
stances. The  Assembly  is  a  very  uncertain  place  for  such  discussions 
and  decisions. 

And  once  more,  if  I  understand  your  letter,  you  are  on  very  differ- 
ent ground  from  that  which  I  meant  to  assume  in  my  former  letter  to 
you,  and  from  what  would  be  sustained  by  the  general  sentiment  of 
the  Church  in  this  part  of  the  country.  It  is  one  thing  to  state  gen- 
eral principles  as  to  things  indifferent  and  as  to  the  power  of  the 
Church  in  reference  to  such  matters,  and  a  very  different  thing  to  de- 
cide upon  the  propriety  or  impropriety  of  indulging  in  such  things. 
Dancing,  card-playing  and  wine-drinking  all  belong  to  the  same 
class.  They  are  not  in  their  essential  nature  sinful.  But  there  may 
be  a  kind  of  dancing,  a  kind  of  card-playing  and  a  kind  of  wine 
drinking  in  their  nature  evil ;  and  when  not  evil  in  themselves  it  may 
be  very  wrong  for  professors  of  religion  to  indulge  in  them.  They 
are  all  so  associated  with  frivolity  and  worldliness  that  no  minister  or 
church  member  in  this  part  of  the  country  can  countenance  them  in 
any  form  without  injuring  his  influence* and  the  cause  of  religion.  I 
have  never  allowed  my  children  to  learn  to  dance,  or  to  attend 
dances,  or  to  be  present  where  it  was  going  on.  I  have  directed 
them  to  leave  the  company  and  return  home  if  it  was  unexpectedly 
introduced.  But  I  understand  that  you  have  advocated  the  propriety 
of  Church  members  dancing,  and  have  even  remained  present  where 
it  was  going  on.  This  could  not  be  done  with  impunity  by  any  min- 
ister here  any  more  than  his  playing  cards  or  countenancing  card- 
playing  by  his  presence. 


398  INFANTS  OF  NON-COMMUNICANTS.  [1843. 

I  think,  therefore,  if  the  case  comes  up  before  the  Assembly,  how- 
ever irregular  or  unwise  may  have  been  the  action  of  the  session,  the 
decision  will  not  be  in  accordance  with  your  wishes. 

I  hope  you  will  excuse  my  expressing  myself  so  plainly  on  this  sub- 
ject, but  as  my  name  has  been  mixed  up  in  this  business,  and  my  for- 
mer letter  to  you  quoted  in  reference  to  it,  it  is  proper  that  you  should 
understand  exactly  how  I  regard  the  whole  subject. 

Very  sincerely  your  friend, 

C.  HODGE. 

THE    BAPTISM    OF   THE    INFANT   CHILDREN    OF   NON- 
PROFESSORS. 

A  fellow-citizen  and  friendly  neighbor  applied  to  him  to 
baptize  his  children  in  a  case  in  which  neither  parent  was  a 
communicating  member  of  the  church,  at  the  time  when 
the  Rev.  Benjamin  H.  Rice,  D.D.,  was  pastor  of  the  con- 
gregation. He  refused,  and  in  the  following  letter  fully 
stated  his  views  of  duty  in  such  a  case. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    MR.    B . 

PRINCETON,  N.  J.,  April  4,  1843. 

My  Dear  Sir : — Your  request  that  I  should  baptize  your  children 
presented  a  question  of  duty  which  I  felt  to  be  so  important  that  I 
have  delayed  longer  than  would  otherwise  have  been  excusable  in 
giving  you  an  answer.  On  the  one  hand,  the  desire  that  you  and 

Mrs.  B express,  of  having  your  children  recognized  as  members 

of  the  Christian  Church,  is  not  only  natural  but  worthy  of  respect. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  obligations  which  parents  assume  in  present- 
ing their  children  for  baptism  are  of  the  most  serious  nature.  From 
the  nature  of  the  case,  the  parent  professes  faith  in  Christ ;  he  pro- 
fesses to  believe  all  the  doctrines  which  Christ  taught,  especially  all 
those  which  are  particularly  brought  to  view  in  that  ordinance — viz. : 
the  fallen  state  of  man,  his  need  of  pardon  and  sanctification,  the 
suitableness  and  sufficiency  of  the  provision  made  in  the  gospel 
through  the  merit  and  Spirit  of  Christ  for  our  salvation,  and  the  right 
which  Christ  has  to  our  confidence  and  obedience.  Besides  this,  it 
results  from  the  nature  of  the  ordinance  in  question  that  the  parent  not 
only  professes  his  faith  in  Christ,  but  promises  to  live  in  obedience  to  all 
his  commands.  This  is  included  in  professing  himself  to  be  a  Christ- 
ian ;  and  the  Bible  as  well  as  our  own  reason  teaches  that  all  who  par- 
take of  the  ordinances  of  the  Christian  Church  do  thereby  profess  to  be 


ALT.  45.]  INFANTS  OF  NON-CGMMUNICANTS.  399 

Christians,  just  as  those  who  offered  a  Jewish  sacrifice  in  the  temple 
professed  the  Jewish  religion.  While,  therefore,  the  desire  to  have 
our  children  baptized  is  natural  and  proper,  we  ought  to  feel  that  the 
profession  and  promises  that  we  of  necessity  make  when  we  present 
them  to  God  are  so  solemn  and  comprehensive  that  they  cannot  be 
properly  made  unless  we  are  sincere  in  our  faith,  and  determined,  by 
the  grace  of  God,  to  be  faithful  to  our  engagements.  I  make  these 
remarks  not  only  because  I  wish  you  to  feel  that  you,  as  parents, 
would  incur  before  God  and  his  Church  very  serious  responsibilities 
in  having  your  children  baptized,  but  also  that  no  minister  could,  in 
this  view  of  the  case,  conscientiously  administer  the  ordinance  unless 
the  parents  (or  one  of  them)  were  prepared  intelligently  to  make  the 
profession  and  incur  the  responsibility  which  it  necessarily  involves. 

What  the  minister  is  bound  to  consider  as  a  profession  entitling  the 
parent  to  have  his  children  baptized  is,  as  you  know,  a  question  on 
which  the  ministers  of  our  Church  are  much  divided.  I  doubt  not 
the  majority  take  the  same  view  of  the  case  as  Dr.  Rice.  I  feel,  how- 
ever, that  I  am  precluded  by  a  previous  consideration  from  the  right 
of  deciding  that  question  for  myself,  or  at  least  acting  on  that  deci- 
sion. I  do  not  stand  in  the  relation  of  pastor  to  this  people  ;  Dr. 
Rice  does  ;  he  has  been  made  the  overseer  of  this  flock  ;  I  have  not. 
He,  therefore,  is  responsible  for  the  administration  of  the  word  and 
ordinances  to  this  people,  and  other  ministers  have  no  right  to  inter- 
fere with  his  charge.  I  feel,  therefore  that  I  have  no  right  to  comply 
with  your  request.  I  am  sure,  therefore,  you  will  readily  excuse  me, 
which  you  would  do  the  more  readily  if  you  knew  the  pain  it  has 
given  me  to  come  to  this  decision. 

I  cannot  conclude  this  letter  without  begging  you  and  Mrs.  B 

not  to  let  this  matter  rest  here.  The  benefits  and  blessings  connected 
with  infant  baptism  are  so  great  that  no  parent  has  the  right  to  debar 
his  children  from  them.  We  are  bound  to  give  our  children  to  God 
in  the  way  which  He  has  appointed,  and  to  secure  for  them  the  bless- 
ings of  that  covenant  which  He  has  formed  with  His  people.  We  are 
therefore  bound,  as  we  desire  the  salvation  of  our  children,  to  do 
whatever  on  our  part  is  necessary  to  secure  for  them,  according  to  the 
rules  of  His  church,  the  great  benefit  of  being  devoted  to  God  by  the 
ordinance  of  baptism. 

May  I  ask  you  to  show  this  letter  to  Mrs.  B ,  for  whom  I  enter- 
tain the  sincerest  respect,  that  she  may  see  that  I  decline  a  compli- 
ance with  your  request  only  from  a  sense  of  duty,  and  that  I  consider 
this  a  question  which  neither  she  nor  you  can  safely  allow  to  rest  as 
it  now  is.  Very  sincerely  your  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 


4OO  COMMENTARIES  AND  ARTICLES.  [1851-60. 

COMMENTARIES. 

In.  the  early  part  of  this  decade,  Dr.  Hodge,  together 
with  Dr.  Joseph  Addison  Alexander,  formed  a  plan  for  the 
joint  production  of  a  critical  Commentary  of  the  whole  New 
Testament,  based  on  the  Greek  Text,  in  a  series  of  volumes 
of  an  approximately  uniform  sizej 

^Dr.  Hodge  published  his  Commentary  on  Ephesians  in 
1856,  that  on  First  Corinthians  in  1857,  and  that  on  Second 
Corinthians  in  1859?} 

ARTICLES    IN   THE    PRINCETON   REVIEW. 

Besides  these  volumes  he  wrote  during  this  decade  the 
following  articles  in  the  Princeton  Review. 

1852.  .The  General  Assembly. 

1853.  [Idea  of  the  Church. — The  General  Assembly. — 
Visibility  of  the  Church] 

1854.  Beecher's  Great  Conflict' — Dr.  SchafFs  Apostolic 
Church. — The  Church  of  England  on  Presbyterian  Orders. 
— The  Education  Question^ — The  General  Assembly. 

1855.  Memoir  of  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander.— ^Bishop 
M'llvaine    on  the  Church^ — Presbyterian   Liturgies. — The 
General  Assembly. 

1856.  The  Church  Review  on  the  Permanency  of  the 
Apostolic  Office. — The  Princeton  Review  &  Cousin's  Philo- 
sophy.— The  General  Assembly  of  1856. — The  Church,  its 
Perpetuity. 

1857.  Free  Agency.  —  The    General  Assembly. — The 
American  Bible  Society  and  its  New  Standard. — Inspiration. 

1858.  The  Church.— Membership  of  Infants.— The  Ge- 
neral Assembly. — Adoption  of  the  Confession  of  Faith. — 
The  Revised  Book  of  Discipline. 

1859.  The  Unity  of  Mankind. — Demission  of  the  Minis- 
try.— The  peneral  Assembly. — Sunday  Laws. 

1860.  What  is   Christianity  £]— The  First   and   Second 
Adam. — The  General  Assembly. — Presbyterianism. 


AT.  53-62.]         BOARD  OF  DOMESTIC  MISSIONS.  401 

This  list  of  bare  titles  shows  that  he  was  now  at  the  very 
summit  of  his  life,  making  the  most  effective  demonstration 
of  his  powers,  and  pouring  forth  the  richest  fruits  of  his 
labors  as  a  student  and  thinker.  The  list  is  so  rich  in 
volume  and  variety  that  space  is  available  only  for  a  very 
cursory  notice  of  those  articles  which  possess  special  or 
most  permanent  significance. 

I.  The  Articles  on  the  annual  General  Assemblies  con- 
tain matters  of  various  and  paramount  interest.  Dr.  Hodge 
was  himself  a  member  of  the  Assemblies  of  1854  in  Buffalo 
and  of  1 860  in  Rochester,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
debates  of  both  of  them.  He  has  left  in  these  articles  for- 
cible expression  of  his  opinion  on  the  following  among 
other  subjects. 

1.  In  the   General   Assembly  of  1853,  there  were  two 
questions  debated  as  to  the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions. 

(a)  The    relation  of  the    Board   to   the    Presbyteries,   and 

(b)  Whether  the  Board  is  only  a  Missionary  and  not  also  a 
Sustentation  organization.    Dr.  Hodge  maintained  as  to  the 
first  question,  that  the  Board  and  not  the  Presbytery  is  to 
be  judge  in  every  case  as  to  its  own  ability  to  grant  the  aid 
asked,  and  on  the  other  hand  the  Presbytery  and  not  the 
Board  is  the  only  judge  in  every  case  whether  the  particular 
church  concerned  deserves  the  aid  sought     He  also  main- 
tained as  to  the  second  question  that  it  is  anti-scriptural,  inex- 
pedient, and  contrary  to  historical    fact  to  hold  that  the 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Home  Missions  is  only  a  missionary 
organization,  that  on  all  these  grounds  it  is  proved  to  be 
also  the  organ  of  the  church  for  sustaining  weak  churches, 
and  that  practically  it  is  the  prerogative  of  the  Presbytery 
and  not  of  the  Board  to  decide  whether  the  particular  weak 
church  deserves  any  longer  to  receive  aid  or  not. 

THE   CONSTITUTIONALITY   OF    OUR    CHURCH    BOARDS. 

2.  In  the  Assemblies  of  1854  and  1860.    There  were  great 
debates  on  the  question  whether  the   Boards  as  then  or- 

26 


402         CONSTITUTIONALITY  OF  OUR  "BOARDS^    [1851-60. 

ganized  were  consistent  with  the  principles  of  New  Testa- 
ment Presbyterianism.  Dr.  Thornwell  and  others  argued 
the  negative,  and  Dr.  Hodge  and  others  the  affirmative. 
The  principles  maintained  on  both  sides  are  reported  by 
Dr.  Hodge  in  his  Article  on  Tresbyterianism'  in  the  Prince- 
ton Review,  July,  1860.  "The  theory,  as  propounded  by 
Dr.  Thornwell  in  his  first  speech,  was  understood  to  embrace 
the  following  principles  :  (i).  That  the  form  of  government 
for  the  church,  and  its  modes  of  action,  are  prescribed  in 
the  word  of  God,  not  merely  as  to  its  general  principles,  but 
in  all  its  details,  as  completely  as  the  system  of  faith  or  the 
moral  law ;  and  therefore  everything  for  which  we  cannot 
produce  a  '  Thus  saith  the  Lord/  is  unscriptural  and  un- 
lawful. 

"(2).  Consequently  the  church  has  no  more  right  to 
create  a  new  office,  organ,  or  organization  for  the  exercise 
of  her  prerogatives  or  the  execution  of  her  prescribed  work, 
than  she  has  to  create  a  new  article  of  faith  or  to  add  a  new 
command  to  the  Decalogue. 

"(3).  That  the  church  cannot  delegate  her  powers.  She 
must  exercise  them  herself,  and  through  officers  and  organs 
prescribed  in  the  Scriptures.  She  has  no  more  right  to  act 
by  a  vicar,  than  Congress  has  to  delegate  its  legislative 
power,  or  a  Christian  to  pray  by  proxy. 

"(4).  That  all  executive,  legislative  and  judicial  power  in 
the  Church  is  in  the  hands  of  the  clergy,  that  is,  of  pres- 
byters, who  have  the  same  ordination  and  office,  although 
differing  in  functions. 

"  5.  That  all  power  in  the  Church  is  joint  and  not  several. 
That  is,  it  can  be  exercised  only  by  church  courts,  and  not 
in  any  case  by  individual  officers. 

"  In  opposition  to  this  general  scheme  the  '  Brother 
from  Princeton '  propounded  the  following  general  prin- 
ciples. 

"(i).  That  all  the  attributes  and  prerogatives  of  the 
church  arise  from  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 


JET.  53-62.]  CONSTITUTIONALITY  OF  OUR  "BOARDS."     403 

consequently  where  He  dwells,  there  are  those  attributes 
and  prerogatives. 

"(2).  That  as  the  Spirit  dwells  not  in  the  clergy  only, 
but  in  the  people  of  God,  all  power  is  in  sensu  primo,  in  the 
people. 

"(3).  That  in  the  exercise  of  these  prerogatives,  the 
church  is  to  be  governed  by  principles  laid  down  in  the 
word  of  God,  which  determine,  within  certain  limits,  her 
officers  and  modes  of  organization ;  but  that  beyond  those 
prescribed  principles  and  in  fidelity  to  them,  the  church  has 
a  wide  discretion  in  the  choice  of  methods,  organs  and 
agencies. 

"  (4).  That  the  fundamental  principles  of  our  Presbyterian 
system  are  first,  the  parity  of  our  clergy ;  second,  the  right 
of  the  people  to  a  substantive  part  in  the  government  of  the 
church ;  third,  the  unity  of  the  church,  in  such  sense  that  a 
small  part  is  subject  to  a  larger,  and  a  larger  to  the  whole." 

If  every  thing  relating  to  the  government  and  action  of 
the  church  is  laid  down  in  detail  in  the  word  of  God,  so 
that  it  is  unlawful  to  employ  any  organs  or  agencies  not 
therein  enjoined ;  then  the  Boards  are  clearly  unlawful ;  if  it 
is  not  so,  the  having  them  or  not  having  them  is  a  matter 
of  expediency. 

Dr.  Hodge  proceeded  to  prove  that  their  continuance 
was  expedient,  because  they  did  not  differ  in  principle,  but 
only  in  the  accident  of  numbers  from  Committees,  and  be- 
cause they  were  in  fact  established,  had  worked  well,  and 
in  some  form  not  radically  different  from  that  in  existence, 
they  were  practically  essential  to  the  work  of  a  church  so 
large  and  so  circumstanced  as  our  own.  The  Assembly  of 
1860,  the  last  one  in  which  the  Northern  and  Southern  Old 
School  Church  acted  together,  decided  in  favor  of  the 
ground  advocated  by  Dr.  Hodge,  by  a  majority  of  234 
to  56. 


404  COMMISSIONS.  [1854-5. 

COMMISSIONS. 

3.  The  question  of  the  constitutional  right  of  our  ecclesi- 
astical  courts   to  appoint  corhmissions  to  try  and   decide 
judicial  cases  was  debated  in  the  Assemblies  of  1854  and 
1855.      It  was  argued  against  the  right  that  no  court,  civil 
or  ecclesiastical,  can  delegate  its  powers.  Dr.  Hodge  argued 
earnestly  for  the  right,  because:  "There  is  no  delegation  of 
powers  involved  in  the  appointment  of  a  commission.     A 
quorum  of  a  Presbytery  is  the  Presbytery;  a  quorum  of  a 
Synod  is  the  Synod;  and  a'quorum  of  the  Assembly  is  the 
Assembly.      In  like  manner,    inasmuch  as  a  commission 
must  embrace  at  least  a  quorum  of  the  appointing  body,  a 
commission  is  not  of  the  nature  of  a  committee  with  pow- 
ers, but  it  is  the  appointing  body  itself,  adjourned  to  meet  at 
a  certain  time  and  place,  for  the  transaction  of  a  specific 
business — with  the  understanding  expressed  or  implied  that 
while  the  whole  body  may  convene,  certain  members  are 
required  to  attend.     *     *     *     It  is  well   known  that  our 
ecclesiastical  courts  have  often  appointed  such  bodies,  and 
that  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  an- 
nually appoints  a  commission,  to  which  all  unfinished  busi- 
ness is  referred.     *     *     *     It  is,  therefore,  a  mere  question 
of  expediency.     Something  must  be  done  to  relieve  the  As- 
sembly of  the  pressure  of  judicial  business.      The  appoint- 
ment of  a  commission  is  a  long  tried  and  approved  method 
of  relief,  and  we  hope  it  will  be  ultimately  adopted,  not 
only  by  the  Assembly,  but  by  Synods  and  Presbyteries." 

AMERICAN    BIBLE    SOCIETY. 

4.  Tn  1 847  it  had  been  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  Board 
of  Managers  of  the  American  Bible   Society  that  there  ex- 
isted a  great  number  of  "  discrepancies  between  our  differ- 
ent editions  of  the  English  Bible ;  also  between  our  editions 
and  those  issued  by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society." 
Hence  the  Board  of  Managers,  in  1848,  directed  the  Com- 
mittee oni  Versions  to.  collate  copies  of  all  the  standard 


JET.  59.]  AMERICAN  BIBLE  SOCIETY.  405 

editions  for  the  purpose  of  correcting  the  discrepancies  al- 
leged to  exist,  relating  principally  to  "  orthography,  capital 
letters,  words  in  italics,  and  punctuation."  The  Committee 
on  Versions,  however,  transcended  in  practice  these  perfectly 
legitimate  and  wise  directions  of  the  Board  of  Managers, 
and  made  changes  affecting  the  sense  of  the  text,  and  es- 
pecially sweeping  changes  in  the  headings  of  chapters,  on 
the  ground  that  they  were  no  part  of  the  inspired  Word  of 
God.  This  work  of  the  committee  was  practically  accepted 
by  the  Board,  and  large  editions  of  the  altered  Bibles  were 
printed  and  put  in  circulation.  When  this  was  realized  by 
the  Christian  public,  such  general  alarm  and  indignation  was 
expressed  that  the  Bible  Society  receded  from  their  hastily 
and  only  half- designedly  assumed  position,  and  peace  and 
confidence  was  restored.  The  General  Assemblies  of  1857 
and  '8  considered  the  matter.  A  strong  condemnatory  reso- 
lution, presented  by  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckinridge,  was  passed 
unanimously  by  the  General  Assembly  of  1 858.  Dr.  Hodge 
argued  with  great  energy  on  the  same  side,  in  his  articles  on 
"  The  General  Assembly"  in  the  Princeton  Review  for  July, 
1857  and  1858,  and  on  "The  American  Bible  Society  and 
its  New  Standard  Edition  of  the  English  Version,"  July, 
1857.  The  principles  upon  which  this  earnest  opposition 
was  urged  were  (a)  The  Bible  Society,  as  the  agent  of  the 
Churches,  is  the  mere  publisher  and  not  the  editor  of  the 
version,  with  discretionary  powers,  (b)  According  to  the 
sense  of  the  contracting  parties,  the  Bible  Society  was  en- 
trusted by  the  Churches  with  the  duty  of  publishing  the 
standard  edition  of  King  James'  version,  as  printed  in  1811, 
as  then  furnished  with  headings,  marginal  notes  and  refer- 
ences. "The  contract,  therefore,  to  circulate  the  Scriptures, 
without  notes  or  comments,  must  be  understood  to  mean 
without  any  other  notes  or  comments  than  those  already  in- 
corporated in  the  standard  editions  of  the  English  Bible." 
In  this  sense  it  was  understood  and  acquiesced  in  by  all 
Protestant  denominations.  Thus,  while  the  Board  had  the 


406  SUBSCRIPTION  TO  THE  CONFESSION.  [1858. 

right  and  duty  of  ascertaining  the  standard,  the  assumption 
of  the  right  to  change  it  in  any  particular  was  unwarranted 
and  most  dangerous,  and  must  be  prevented  from  exercise  at 
once,  without  regard  to  the  character  of  the  changes  actual- 
ly proposed.  While  "  the  fact  that  these  changes  (actually 
made),  in  almost  all  instances,  eliminated  the  evangelical 
element  from  these  headings,  tended  greatly  to  increase  dis- 
satisfaction and  alarm." 

SUBSCRIPTION    TO    THE    CONFESSION. 

5.  In  the  General  Assembly  of  1858,  the  Rev.  Dr.  R.  J. 
Breckinridge  offered  a  resolution  directing  the  Board  of 
Publication  to  nominate  men  subsequently  to  be  appointed 
to  work  under  the  direction  of  future  Assemblies  in  prepar- 
ing a  Church  Commentary  on  the  whole  Bible,  adopting  the 
standard  King  James  version,  in  the  sense  of  the  constant 
faith  of  the  Word  of  God,  as  that  is  briefly  set  forth  in  the 
standard  of  the  Westminster  Assembly.  This  was  referred 
to  the  next  Assembly,  and  finally  abandoned. 

Dr.  Hodge  exposed  the  weakness  of  the  scheme  very 
freely.  He  argued  (a)  That  it  was  unprecedented,  and 
would  be  destructive  of  all  liberty  for  any  Church  to  pro- 
vide an  authoritative  explanation  of  all  the  Scriptures  in 
detail,  (b)  That  the  men  do  not  exist  who  are  competent 
for  such  a  task,  (c)  That  while  the  Confession  of  Faith  is 
the  rule  controlling  among  us  ministerial  communion,  it  has 
never  been  made  the  rule  for  the  interpretation  of  Scripture, 
(d)  Even  as  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  agreement  is  not 
perfect.  "  We  could  not  hold  together  a  week  if  we  made 
the  adoption  of  all  its  professions  a  condition  of  ministerial 
communion."  "  Who  is  to  tell  us  the  Church's  sense  of  the 
Confession?  It  is  notorious  that  as  to  that  point  we  are 
not  agreed.  In  the  second  place,  even  as  to  the  points  in 
which  the  sense  of  the  Confession  is  plain,  there  is  want  of 
entire  concurrence  in  its  reception,  and  what  is  the  main 
point,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  the  sense  of  the  West- 


^T.6o.]        SUBSCRIPTION  TO  THE  CONFESSION.  407 

minster  Confession  as  to  the  true  interpretation  of  thous- 
ands of  passages  of  Scripture.  The  standard  is  an  imagin- 
ary one.  What  does  the  Confession  teach  of  the  dark  say- 
ings of  Hosea,  &c.?" 

These  paragraphs  made  a  great  sensation,  and  the  old 
school  newspapers  generally  condemned  them  as  teaching 
the  loose  view  that  the  standards  were  subscribed  by  the 
intrants  to  the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  only  for 
substance  of  doctrine.  That  is,  in  the  sense  of  evangelical 
Christianity  in  general.  Dr.  Hodge,  therefore,  published 
an  article  on  the  "  Adoption  of  the  Confession  of  Faith,"  in 
the  October  number  of  the  Princeton  Review,  of  the  same 
year,  in  which  he  defends  what  he  said  in  July,  and  fully 
states  his  whole  position  on  the  subject  of  creed  subscrip- 
tion. The  difficulty  with  the  statements  just  quoted  is  that 
they  present  only  that  one-half  of  the  subject  which  was 
related  to  the  question  then  in  debate.  In  the  October 
article  he  maintains  (a)  That  subscription  binds  in  the  sense 
of  the  animus  imponentis — i.  e.,  not  the  mind  of  the  mode- 
rator, or  Presbytery  ordaining  the  candidate,  but  the  mind 
or  intention  of  the  whole  denomination,  (b)  That  to  the  ques- 
tion, What  does  the  Presbyterian  Church  understand  the 
candidate  to  profess  when  he  "  receives  and  adopts  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith  of  this  Church  as  containing  the  system  of 
doctrine  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures?"  three  answers 
have  been  given.  First — That  "system  of  doctrine  "  means 
"substance  of  doctrine."  Second — That  he  who  affirms  it 
adopts  every  proposition  contained  in  the  Confession  as 
part  of  his  own  faith.  Each  of  these  answers  he  discards 
for  different  reasons.  Third — That  the  phrase  "  system  of 
doctrine"  is  to  be  intelligently  and  honestly  taken  in  its 
fixed  historical  sense.  It  presupposes  belief  in  all  those 
truths  which  are  common  to  all  Christians,  and  those  com- 
mon to  all  evangelical  Protestants,  and  embraces  in  addi- 
tion all  those  special  doctrines  by  which  the  Reformed  or 
Calvinistic  Churches  are  distinguished  from  the  Lutherans 


408  REVISED  BOOK  OF  DISCIPLINE.  [1858. 

and  Arminians  and  other  Protestants.  This  system  is  well 
known,  and  easily  ascertainable ;  it  is  clearly  taught  in  the 
Confession,  and  is  professed  by  all  who  adopt  this  as  the 
standard  of  their  faith. 

6.  The  General  Assembly  of  1857  appointed  a  committee, 
of  which  Dr.  Thornwell  was  chairman  and  Dr.  Hodge  a 
member,  to  revise  the  Book  of  Discipline.  Dr.  Hodge  at- 
tended to  all  the  meetings  of  this  committee,  and  wrote  his 
views  extensively  as  to  the  changes  proposed,  in  an  article 
published  in  the  Princeton  Review,  entitled  "  The  Revised 
Book  of  Discipline,"  October,  1858.  He  regarded  the 
changes  in  general  as  wisely  made,  and  objected  only  to  the 
change  in  the  affirmations  made  with  regard  to  the  relation 
of  the  baptized  members  of  the  Church  to  its  discipline. 
He  accepted  the  language  adopted  on  that  subject  as  sus- 
ceptible of  a  good  sense,  but  preferred  the  language  of  the 
old  book.  He  referred  the  coldness  with  which  the  work 
of  the  committee  was  received  to  a  strong  aversion  to 
change  on  the  part  of  the  Church,  and  expressed  his  belief 
that  ''the  time  is  not  distant  when  a  verdict  will  be  rendered 
with  great  unanimity  in  favor  of  the  majority  of  the  altera- 
tions proposed  by  the  Committee  of  Revision." 


RELIGIOUS     EDUCATION     AND     THE     RELATION     OF     THE 
STATE    TO    RELIGION. 

7.  The  late  admirable  Dr.  Van  Rensselaer,  when  Secre- 
tary of  the  Board  of  Education,  attempted  to  introduce  a 
permanent  system  of  parochial  and  presbyterial  schools  and 
synodical  academies.  This  was  met  by  a  violent  opposition 
from  two  opposite  quarters.  First,  Dr.  Thornwell  and 
those  who  agreed  with  him  that  the  Church's  commission 
confines  it  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  in  the  technical 
sense  of  that  word,  of  course  objected  that  the  Church  had 
no  right  to  give  secular  education  even  to  her  own  children. 
Secondly,  The  rationalistic  and  infidel  supporters  of  a 


MT.  58.]    RELATION  OF  THE  STATE  TO  RELIGION.         409 

purely  secular  education  opposed  it  as  fanatical  and  as  in- 
terfering with  the  system  of  State  schools. 

Dr.  Hodge  earnestly  advocated  the  system  in  his  Articles 
on  the  "General  Assembly"  for  1854  and  1856,  and  in 
an  Article  entitled  the  "  Education  Question "  July,  1854. 
He  there  maintains  with  great  force  of  conviction  the 
following  principles,  (a)  The  absolute  necessity  of  popular 
education,  (b)  That  this  education  should  be  religious ;  that 
religion  should  be  a  regular  part  of  the  course  of  instruction 
in  all  our  non-professional  educational  institutions.  The 
new  doctrine  that  secular  education  should  be  entirely 
separated  from  religion  he  declared  to  be  first  "a  virtual 
renunciation  of  allegiance  to  God,  as  destructive  to  society, 
and  as  certainly  involving  the  final  overthrow  of  the  whole 
system  of  public  education;"  and  second,  absolutely  imprac- 
ticable, since  true  or  false  doctrines  as  to  God  and  his 
relation  to  us  and  the  world  must  go  along  with  all  know- 
ledge ;  and  third,  destructive,  because  the  attempt  to  exclude 
religion  must  tend  to  teach  atheism  either  sceptical,  virtual, 
or  practical,  (c).  That  the  doctrine  that  our  state  schools 
must  teach  no  religion,  because  the  state  has  no  religious 
character,  he  pronounces  to  be  false  as  a  fact,  and  absurd  as 
an  opinion.  "  Christianity  is  the  common  and  supreme  law 
of  the  land  from  the  necessity  of  the  case,  because  it  is  the 
religion  of  those  who  constitute  the  country."  "  Our  real 
statesmen,  our  highest  judges,  our  chief  magistrates  and 
founders  of  government  and  the  ornaments  of  our  country, 
have  with  one  voice  and  in  various  forms  acknowledged  that 
Christianity  is  the  law  of  the  land."  It  is  a  matter  of  history, 
and  a  matter  of  fact  as  to  the  existing  state  of  the  law,  of  the 
institutions,  customs,  and  convictions  of  the  vast  majority 
of  the  people,  (d.)  That  if  the  people  are  to  be  educated, 
the  state  must  teach ;  if  the  state  teaches  at  all,  she  must 
teach  religion ;  if  she  teaches  religion,  it  must  under  the 
past  and  present  state  of  facts  teach  Protestant  Christianity. 
(*),  The  responsibility  of  providing  education  for  the  people 


41 0         RELATION  OF  THE  STATE  TO  RELIGION.        [1869. 

rests,  co-ordinately  upon  parents,  the  state  and  the  church. 
As  to  the  right  and  obligation  of  the  Church  to  teach,  it 
evidently  springs  from  its  nature.  It  was  originally  com- 
missioned "to  disciple  all  nations,  baptizing  them,  teaching 
them."  This  has  from  the  beginning  been  the  uniform 
faith  and  practice  of  the  Church  of  all  denominations  and 
ages,  and  the  more  conspicuously  in  the  periods  of  her 
greatest  spiritual  enlightenment  and  faithfulness,  (f)  "That 
in  the  existing  state  of  our  country  the  Church  can  no  more 
resign  the  work  of  education  exclusively  to  the  state,  than 
the  state  can  leave  it  exclusively  to  parents  or  the  Church. 
The  work  cannot  be  accomplished,  in  the  way  she  is  bound 
to  see  it  accomplished,  without  her  efficient  co-operation." 
( g )  "  That  in  the  performance  of  this  great  duty,  the 
Church  cannot  rely  on  the  separate  agency  of  her  members, 
but  is  bound  to  act  collectively,  or  in  her  organized  capacity." 
In  answer  to  a  letter  of  inquiry  addressed  to  him  by  the 
Rev.  Morris  Sutphen,  D.D.,  of  New  York,  Dr.  Hodge  wrote 
the  following  letter  on  this  subject,  April  loth,  1869. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    REV.    MORRIS    SUTPHEN,  D.  D. 

PRINCETON,  N.  J.,  April  10,  1869. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  am  not  aware  that  my  views  have  undergone 
any  change  on  the  education  question.  I  still  believe  that  the  Church 
is  bound  to  see  to  it  that  all  within  her  influence,  especially  her  own 
children,  have  a  religious  education  ;  to  which  end  parish  or  church 
schools  are  indispensable.  2.  What  is  the  duty  of  Presbyterians  is 
the  duty  of  other  denominations  or  churches.  3.  That  in  such  a  het- 
erogeneous and  liberty-abusing  population  as  we  have  in  this  coun- 
try, church  schools  cannot  reach  the  masses  sufficiently,  and  there- 
fore State  schools  are  a  necessity.  4.  That  church  or  denominational 
schools  are  entitled  to  a  share  of  the  school  fund  of  the  State,  pro- 
portioned to  the  number  of  children  they  educate ;  the  State  having 
the  right  to  see  that  its  standard  of  secular  education  is  come  up  to. 
And,  to  finish  my  creed,  5.  I  would  let  none  but  the  educated  in 
the  schools  established  and  approved  by  the  State — vote. 

I  do  not  remember  anything  I  have  written  on  this  subject.  I  had 
forgotten  the  address  of  1847,  to  which  you  refer. 

Your  friend,  &c.,  CHARLES  HODGE. 


SET.  61.]     RELATION  OF  THE  STATE  TO  RELIGION.        41 1 

When  a  society  was  formed  and  memorials  signed  in 
order  to  move  the  Houses  of  Congress  to  send  down  the 
following  clause  to  the  States  as  an  amendment  to  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States — :  "  Humbly  acknowledging 
Almighty  God  as  the  source  of  all  authority  and  power  in 
civil  government,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Ruler  among 
the  nations,  and  His  revealed  will  as  of  supreme  authority,  in 
order  to  constitute  a  Christian  government,  &c.,  &c." — :  Dr. 
Hodge,  on  every  proper  occasion,  signified  his  approval,  and 
publicly  subscribed  his  name  to  the  following  sentence. — : 
"  We  cordially  approve  of  the  object  of  the  foregoing  me- 
morial, and  desire  to  do  all  that  we  lawfully  can  to  pro- 
mote it." 

FREE    AGENCY,    INSPIRATION,    ETC.,    ETC. 

II.  His  Articles  on  "  Free  Agency,"  "  Inspiration,"  "the 
Church  membership  of  infants "  and  "  Demission  of  the 
Ministry  "  are  all  in  his  most  effective  style  of  theological 
discussion,  and  have  been  repeated  and  expanded,  but 
hardly  excelled  in  the  corresponding  chapters  of  his  Syste- 
matic Theology.  Dr.  McGufifey,  late  professor  of  meta- 
physics in  the  University  of  Virginia,  told  the  writer  that 
he  regarded  the  former 'of  this  list  as  a  most  clear  and  able 
exposition  of  its  subject,  and  habitually  referred  his  classes 
to  it.  It  was  written  in  the  first  instance  as  a  lecture,  and 
was  as  such  the  very  first  lecture  he  read  to  his  classes, 
when  commencing  to  lecture  in  the  department  of  Didactic 
Theology. 

In  his  article,  "  Demission  of  the  Ministry,"  he  earnestly 
argued  the  right  and  the  propriety  of  providing  a  way  of 
honorable  retreat  for  the  many  honest  Christian  men  who 
have  become  ministers  while  destitute  of  the  qualifications 
for  usefulness  and  success.  The  growing  number  of  these 
nominal  ministers  out  of  office,  and  often  completely  secula- 
rized in  character  and  reputation,  and  their  frequent  predo- 
minance in  our  church  courts,  is  coming  to  be  recognised 


412  PRESS  YTERIAN  L ITUR  GIES.  [1856. 

as  the  greatest  evil  and  danger  in  our  American  Presbyte- 
rianism. 

PRESBYTERIAN   LITURGIES. 

III.  In   the   Article  on  "Presbyterian   Liturgies,"  July, 
1855,  he  expresses  the  following  opinions,  (i).  That  the  use 
of  Liturgies  is  neither  a  peculiarity  nor  a  natural  adjunct  of 
Episcopacy.     "They  were  introduced   into   all    Protestant 
Churches  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  and  in  the  greater 
number  of  them  they  continue  to  the  present  day."    (2).  He 
exhibits  the  reasons  which  justified  Presbyterians  in  resisting 
the  imposition  of  the  English  Prayer  Book,  which  have  led 
in  Scotland  and  America  to  the  general  disuse  of  Liturgies 
altogether.    (3).  He  declares  it  to  be  his  opinion,  that  their 
total  neglect  has  been  injurious,  especially  in  the  imperfect 
and  diverse  manners  in  which  the  sacraments  and  the  special 
rites  of  the  church,  such  as  marriage,  ordination,  burial,  &c., 
are  performed.    (4).  "These  two  conditions  being  supposed, 
first  that  the  book  should  be  compiled  and  not  written ; 
and  second,  that  its  use  should  be  optional — we  are  strongly 
of  opinion,  that  it  would  answer  a  most  important  end." 

IV.  The  article  entitled,  "  Princeton  Review  and  Cousin's 
Philosophy,"  April,  1856,  should  be  read  by  every  one  de- 
siring to  see  all  the  sides  of  Dr.  Hodge's  character.    Profes- 
sors Dod  and  James  W.  Alexander  had  together  written 
the  article  on  Transcendendalism  in  1839.  It  attracted  great 
admiration,  and  was  several  times  reprinted  by  parties  entirely 
disconnected  with  Princeton,  both  in   New  England  and 
Great  Britain. 

In  1856,  Caleb  S:  Henry,  D.  D.,  the  translator  of  the 
Lectures  of  Cousin  on  Locke,  one  of  the  works  reviewed 
in  that  article,  in  the  preface  to  his  "  Elements  of  Psycho- 
logy" fills  many  pages  with  coarse  vituperation,  and  impu- 
tation of  the  basest  motives  against  the  authors,  one  of 
whom,  Dr.  Hodge's  intimate  friend,  had  been  eleven  years 
dead.  Dr.  H.  is  often  said  to  have  been  like  the  apostle 


JET.  58.]        BISHOP  ATIL  VAINE  ON  THE  CHURCH.  413 

John :  if  any  one  will  read  this  vindication  of  the  memory 
of  his  dead  friend,  they  will  nevertheless  see  that  like  his 
Saviour  he  knew  how  to  address  the  "  Fools  and  blind"  and 
the  "  Generation  of  vipers/' 


BISHOP    M  ILVAINE   ON   THE   CHURCH. 

V.  In  the  April  number  of  the  Review  for  1855 
Dr.  Hodge  had  prepared  a  short  article  under  the  title  of 
"  Bishop  Mcllvaine  on  the  Church,"  to  show  that  his  old 
friend  and  classmate,  although  a  decided  Episcopalian,  held 
the  same  evangelical  and  Protestant  doctrine  of  the 
"Church"  as  he  himself  had  taught,  and  which  many  of  his 
Old  school  and  New-school  Presbyterian  "brethren  in  the 
ignorance  of  their  reactionary  zeal"  denounced  as  too  low- 
church,  and  as  virtually  giving  away  of  everything  to  the 
Independents. 

In  May,  185 5,  he  delivered  the  first  annual  address  before 
the  Presbyterian  Historical  Society,  in  which  he  laid  down 
the  essential  general  principles  of  Presbyterian  Church  or- 
ganization. In  October,  of  the  same  year,  the  Church  Re- 
view and  Register,  a  high-church  quarterly  review  of  New 
Haven,  reviewed  that  lecture,  and  set  over  against  it  an  argu- 
ment purporting  to  come  from  the  pen  of  Bishop  Mcllvaine, 
maintaining  the  permanency  of  the  Apostolic  office.  In 
his  January  number  of  the  Princeton  Review,  Dr.  Hodge 
answered  and  refuted  this  argument  in  an  article  entitled 
"  The  Church  Review  on  the  Permanency  of  the  Apostolic 
Office."  In  April,  1854,  he  published  an  article  entitled 
"The  Church  of  England  and  Presbyterian  Orders"  in  which 
he  exhibits  the  historical  argument  of  the  Rev.  Wm.  Goode, 
in  support  of  the  position  that  the  founders  and  great  theo- 
logians of  the  Church  of  England  while  maintaining  the 
expediency  or  even  the  divine  right  of  Episcopacy,  had 
never  considered  it  essential  to  the  being  of  the  Church. 

The  following  interesting  correspondence  sprang  up  on 


414  BISHOP  M'lLVAlNE  ON  THE  CHURCH.  [1855. 

the  occasion  of  his  response  to  Bishop  Mcllvaine's  argu- 
ment in  favor  of  the  perpetuity  of  the  Apostolic  office. 

DR.     HODGE    TO    BISHOP    M'lLVAlNE. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  18,  1855. 

Dear  Charles  : — I  address  you  in  this  affectionate  college  style  not 
only  because  my  heart  dictates  it,  but  also  because  I  fear,  if  I  did  not 
do  so  now,  I  may  not  be  able  to  do  it  at  all.  It  may  be  that  the  Janu- 
ary number  of  the  Princeton  Review  may  indispose  you  to  recognize 
me  as  your  old  friend,  though  I  hope  not. 

In  May  last  I  was  called  upon  to  deliver  an  address  before  the 
Presbyterian  Historical  Society  on  the  question,  What  is  Presbyterian- 
ism  ?  a  copy  of  which  I  send  you.  That  address  was  made  the 
subject  of  criticism  in  the  Church  Review,  New  Haven,  Conn.  The 
Reviewer  instead  of  discussing  the  argument  in  the  address,  re  publish- 
ed in  extenso  your  sermon  on  the  permanency  of  the  Apostolic  office ; 
which  he  called  upon  me  to  examine.  I  have  made  the  attempt  to 
examine  your  argument,  and  have  endeavored  to  treat  you  as  a  friend 
and  advocate  of  evangelical  truth,  while  I  treated  your  argument  as 
a  Presbyterian.  I  really  and  honestly  think  there  is  nothing  in  my 
review  of  your  sermon  which  ought  to  lessen  our  personal  friendship. 
But  as  things  seem  so  differently  when  viewed  from  different  positions, 
you  may  think  otherwise.  I  should  be  exceedingly  pained  should 
this  be  the  case,  for  much  as  I  feel  pained  and  aggrieved  at  the  posi- 
tions assumed  in  your  sermon,  I  feel  nothing  but  affection  and 
respect  towards  you.  Indeed  I  cannot  but  hope  you  will  regard  my 
review  as  I  do,  a  mere  act  of  self-defence.  Granting  all  I  say,  you 
are  untouched  in  your  ministerial  and  even  your  episcopal  standing. 
But  granting  what  you  say,  I  am  no  minister,  and  if  a  Christian,  am  in 
a  state  of  rebellion  against  one  who  has  a  divine  right  to  my  submis- 
sion to  him  as  the  bishop  of  New  Jersey.  It  is  not  reasonable  to  expect 
that  Presbyterians  can  silently  submit  to  these  claims  of  Episcopacy. 
So  long  as  they  emanated  only  from  professed  Anglicans  or  High- 
Church-men,  I,  for  one,  cared  little  about  them.  But  when  I  found 
to  my  surprise  that  they  had  been  advocated  by  one  of  your  high 
character  as  an  evangelical  Christian,  I  felt  bound,  when  specially  by 
name  called  upon,  to  say  what  I  have  said  in  reference  to  the  whole 
matter. 

I  hope  you  will  feel  toward  me  while  reading  my  review,  as  I  felt 
toward  you  after  reading  your  sermon. 

Affectionately  your  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 


ALT.  58.]         BISHOP  M  IL  VAINE  ON  THE  CHURCH.  41 


BISHOP    M  ILVAINE    TO    DR.    HODGE. 

CINCINNATI,  Dec.  22,  1855. 

My  Dear  Charles  : — I  have  just  received  your  kind  and  affectionate 
letter  of  the  i8th,  and  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  such  kind  desire 
and  pains  to  prevent  any  evil  influence  on  our  long  established  friend- 
ship from  a  review  of  my  sermon,  which  I  doubt  not  your  sense  of 
duty  has  prompted.  And  by  the  way,  I  a  little  suspect  that  a  part  of 
the  animus  of  the  re-print  in  the  Church  Review  was  to  bring  me  into 
such  relations  with  my  Presbyterian  brethren  and  friends  as  would 
wean  me  from  my  affectionate  feelings  towards  all  of  them  who  love 
Christ  as  my  brethren,  and  especially  towards  some  of  whom  I  have 
the  superadded  regard  as  dear  friends. 

I  cannot  say  my  dear  Charles,  what  I  shall  feel  when  I  read  the 
review,  but  believing  you  would  aim  only  at  the  truth  and  not  at  me, 
I  will  hope  and  expect  so  to  receive  it,  that  love  shall  not  be  the  suf- 
ferer, however  other  feelings  may  be.  From  what  you  say  I  infer 
that  you  have  not  understood  my  mind  in  the  sermon,  but  have  inter- 
preted the  bearing  on  non-Episcopal  ministers  and  churches  as  I  do 
not.  I  do  not  perceive  that  the  sermon  contains  anything  in  advance 
of  the  usual  low-church  doctrine  prevailing  in  our  Church.  It  teaches 
Apostolical  Succession,  just  as  I  understand  real  Presbyterians  to  teach 
it,  namely,  that  a  certainpart  of  the  authority  committed  to  the 
Apostles  was  intended  to  continue  in  the  ministry  to  the  end  of  the 
world,  and,  has  continued — such  for  example  as  the  power  of  ordina- 
tion. The  difference  between  the  Episcopalian  and  the  Presbyterian 
being  that  the  latter  hold  the  descent  to  have  been  in  the  line  of  Pres- 
byters, the  former  in  the  line  of  diocesan  Bishops.  The  Apostolical 
succession  is  held  in  my  opinion  as  much  in  one  Church  as  the  other 
— the  difference  between  the  so  holding  and  high-churchmanship  in 
both,  being  when  it  is  not  held  in  such  a  sense  as  to  exclude  by  the 
inferences  drawn  from  it  all  other  ministers  than  its  own  from  validity 
and  reality,  nor  other  Churches  from  being  real  Churches  of  Christ 
whatever  it  may  think  of  their  defective  conformity  to  the  Apostolic 
pattern.  Such  Apostolic  succession  is  vastly  removed  from  that  of 
Romanism  and  Puseyism,  which  not  only  makes  a  ministry  so  de- 
scended, essential  to  the  being  of  the  Church,  and  essential  to  the 
reality  of  all  sacraments,  but  makes  the  communication  of  saving 
grace  essentially  dependent  on  the  sacraments  of  that  succession — 
and  thus  it  is  the  exclusive  succession  of  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit  as 
well  as  of  a  certain  office. 

My  sermon  was  written  in  '39,  some  sixteen  years  ago.  How  far  I 
should  now  enter  into  all  its  details  I  cannot  say,  for  it  is  very  long 


41  6  BISHOP  M'lLVAINE  ON  THE  CHURCH.  [1855. 

since  I  have  given  my  mind  to  that  line  of  subject.  But  when  I 
preached  it,  as. ever  since,  I  considered  it  as  a  simple  maintenance 
of  an  alleged  fact,  with  a  studied  abstinence  from  all  attack  or  reflec- 
tion on  other  churches,  and  as  leaving  me  at  full  liberty  to  believe  in 
and  acknowledge  other  churches  as  real  churches,  and  their  ministers 
as  real  ministers  of  Christ,  often  greatly  blessed  of  the  Spirit.  I  did 
not  consider,  nor  do  I  now,  Episcopal  ordination  essential  to  the  being 
of  the  ministry  or  sacraments,  any  more  than  to  the  Church,  though  I 
do  consider  it  essential  to  the  full  order  and  model  of  the  primitive 
church.  So  you  think  of  Presbyterian  ordination. 

While  I  thus  vindicate  the  position  of  the  sermon,  I  do  not  mean  to 
intimate  that  under  present  feelings  I  should  take  such  a  track  of 
thought  again  on  a  similar  occasion.  It  is  one  thing  to  maintain  cer- 
tain doctrines,  and  another  to  give  them  a  certain  relative  position. 
My  mind  is  so  off  from  the  externalism  of  the  Church,  in  the  higher 
estimate  of  the  invisible  and  eternal,  so  much  more  on  the  everlasting 
ties  of  the  Church  Catholic,  than  upon  the  temporary  and  distinctive 
(features  ?)  of  the  Church  Episcopal,  that  I  sometimes  fear  I  am  too 
much  losing  sight  of  the  one  in  the  mountain  shadow  of  the  other. 

Farewell  Charles.  Let  us  be  one  in  Christ,  How  soon  the  seen  and 
temporal 'will  have  passed  to  us  and  the  unseen  and  eternal  be  our  all. 
In  Christ  no  condemnation.  It  is  faith  not  orders  or  ministers  that 
place  us  in  Christ.  May  that  uniting  grace  abound  in  us  more  and 
more ;  then  we  shall  have  a  place  in  the  Father's  house  where  all  in 
Christ  of  whatever  name  or  form  of  religion  on  earth  shall  be  the  one 
household  of  love  and  peace  and  holiness  made  perfect. 
Yours  very  affectionately, 

CHARLES  P.  M'ILVAINE. 

P.  S. — I  wish  you  would  read  my  sermon  on  the  "  Church  of  Christ 
in  its  essential  being,"  the  third  in  my  volume  "  The  Truth  and  Life." 
As  the  volume  was  noticed  in  the  Princeton  Review,  I  suppose  it  is 
within  your  reach.  I  do  not  know  how  much  you  have  seen  of  the 
sermon  copied  in  the  Church  Review,  as  I  do  not  know  how  much  of 
it  they  copied — the  merely  argumentative  part  on  Episcopacy,  or 
more.  I  have  therefore  hunted  up  an  old  copy  and  send  it,  hoping 
you  will  read  it  enough  to  see  that  I  preached  on  that  occasion  on 
something  else  than  outward  order.  Please  observe  the  note  on  page 
1 5  and  the  lines  marked  on  page  28. 


JET.  58.]        BISHOP  M'lL  VAINE  ON  THE  CHURCH.  41  7 

DR.    HODGE   TO   BISHOP   M'lLVAINE. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  29,  1855. 

My  Dear  Charles : — Your  letter  touched  me  so,  I  wished  my  re- 
view in  Guinea.  The  Church  Review  said,  "  We  give  the  argu- 
ment of  the  sermon,  notes  and  all,  without  alteration.  Even  the 
italics  are  preserved."  I  find  they  began  with  page  10  of  the  pamph- 
let and  ended  with  page  27,  omitting  the  introduction  and-conclusion. 
So  far  as  the  argument  is  concerned  they  gave  all  they  professed  to 
do,  but  as  far  as  the  impression  of  the  sermon  goes,  it  was  of  course 
one-sided. 

I  very  much  regret  that  it  did  not  occur  to  me  to  omit  all  reference 
to  you  as  author  of  the  sermon  and  review  it  as  an  argument  of  the 
Church  Review,  as  the  Editor  so  fully  and  strongly  adopted  it.  Still 
I  hope  no  harm  will  be  done.  It  has  not  in  the  least  diminished  my 
affection  for  you,  nor  my  high  estimate  of  your  services  in  the  cause 
of  our  common  Master.  I  was  taken  by  surprise  to  find  that  you  had 
written  in  favor  of  the  permanence  of  the  Apostolic  office,  and  had 
endeavored  to  prove  that  bishops  are  the  official  successors  of  the 
Apostles,  i.  e.  that  they  are  Apostles.  I  knew  that  this  is  the  alpha 
and  omega  of  the  Romish  system,  that  no  man  could  hold  to  the  per- 
petuity of  the  Apostleship,  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term,  without 
destroying  the  ground  under  his  feet  as  a  Protestant.  I  think  so  still. 
I  think  there  is  no  hope  for  us,  for  you  or  for  me,  for  Episcopalians 
or  for  Presbyterians,  if  the  perpetuity  of  the  Apostleship  be  con- 
ceded. I  know  that  some  have  used  that  language,  meaning  that  the 
office  of  ministry  is  perpetual,  and  others,  as  you  have  done,  mean- 
ing that  prelacy  is  perpetual.  But  this  cannot  help  the  matter.  Let 
it  once  be  granted  that  the  Apostleship  is  permanent,  then  Rome  can 
prove,  what  nine-tenths  of  Christians  have  always  believed,  viz :  the 
Apostleship  in  its  essential  nature  includes  infallibility  and  supreme 
authority.  If  you  have  a  perpetual  Apostleship,  you  have  according 
to  the  common  judgment  of  Christendom  an  infallible  Church. 

You  are  therefore  just  as  much  interested  as  I  am  in  proving  that 
the  Apostleship  is  not  permanent.  Dear  Charles,  I  beg  you  to  forgive 
me  in  advance  if  there  is  anything  in  my  review  which  wounds  your 
feelings.  Of  you  I  have  spoken  in  the  terms  which  you  would  expect. 
Of  the  arguments  for  the  perpetuity  of  the  Apostolic  office,  I  have 
spoken  as  you  would  yourself  speak  of  the  divine  right  of  the  patri- 
archs and  popes.  I  believe  the  argument  for  the  latter  is  much 
stronger  from  Scripture  than  for  the  former,  and  I  believe  further  that 
if  the  doctrines  of  your  sermon  can  be  established  it  is  all  over  with 
Protestantism  and  Evangelical  religion.  You  say  beautifully  and 
27 


41  8  ARTICLES  ON  THE  CHURCH  AND  ELDERSHIP.  [1843-60. 

truly  in  your  letter  that  you  are  far  more  interested  in  what  is  spiritual 
and  internal  than  in  what  is  external.  This  question,  however,  touches 
the  very  heart  of  the  gospel,  and  therefore  I  am  sure  you  will  excuse 
the  zeal  with  which  I  have  written. 

Your  sermon  on  the  "  Being  of  the  Church,"  I  have  not  only  read, 
but  made  the  subject  of  review,  and  the  occasion  of  setting  myself 
right  with  some  of  my  Presbyterian  brethren,  who  thought  that  the 
articles  which  I  had  printed  on  the  Idea  of  the  Church  were  unsound 
because  they  made  too  little  of  the  external  Church.  I  hope  you  will 
receive  the  copy  of  my  address  sent  with  my  former  letter,  for  it  will 
enable  you  to  understand  the  ground  I  occupy. 
With  all  my  old  confidence  and  affection, 

Very  truly  yours,  CHARLES  HODGE. 

LECTURES   AND   ARTICLES    ON   THE    CHURCH   AND 
ELDERSHIP. 

VI.  In  1845  and  '6,  in  consequence  of  the  declining 
health  of  his  venerable  colleague,  Dr.  Miller,  Dr.  Hodge 
began  to  prepare  his  lectures  on  the  nature  and  constitution 
and  officers  of  the  Christian  Church.  Some  of  the  most 
important  of  these  were  published  as  articles,  from  time  to 
time,  in  the  Princeton  Review.  His  whole  mind  on  these 
subjects  has  been  fully  set  forth  in  the  articles  on  the  Gen- 
eral Assemblies  of  different  years,  on  the  "  Rights  of  Ruling 
Elders,"  1843;  "Theories  of  the  Church,"  1846;  "Idea  of 
the  Church,"  and  "Visibility  of  the  Church,"  1853;  "The 
Church  its  Perpetuity,"  1856;  and  " Presbyterianism,"  1860. 
These  articles  attracted  a  vast  deal  of  attention  and  hostile 
criticism  both  in  this  country  and  Scotland,  with  respect  to 
the  positions  assumed  on  two  points.  These  are,  first,  as 
to  the  extent  and  minuteness  of  the  binding  directions  for 
church  organization  and  government  set  down  in  the  Word 
of  God  and  second,  as  to  the  nature  of  the  office  of  Ruling 
Elder. 

As  to  the  first  point,  he  taught  the  following  principles : 
1st — The  Church  of  Christ,  to  which  all  the  promises  of 
Scripture  belong  is,  in  its  essential  nature  not  a  visible  or- 
ganized society  of  men,  but  the  whole  body  of  the  elect, 


^ET.  45-62.]  THE  CHURCH. 

who  exist  either  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  or  who  are  to 
come  into  existence  in  the  future.  2d — That  the  visible 
church  which  exists  as  an  organized  society  on  earth  is  not 
a  different  body  from  the  above,  but  is  the  same  body  as  far 
as  at  any  part  of  the  world's  history  its  members  may  be 
recognized  as  such  by  one  another.  And  that  the  marks 
by  which  the  members  of  this  body  are  to  be  recognised, 
and  on  the  ground  of  which  they  and  their  children  are 
to  be  presumed  to  be  members,  and  treated  as  such  by  all 
other  Christians,  are  competent  knowledge  and  credible  pro- 
fession of  the  true  faith,  and  a  corresponding  life.  3d — 
That  it  is  the  duty  of  all  communities  of  such  mutually  re- 
cognised members  of  the  true  spiritual  church  to  form  or- 
ganized societies,  with  constitutions,  officers,  laws  and  sac- 
raments. 4th — That  the  New  Testament  does  not  prescribe 
in  detail  any  precise  form  of  church  organization,  nor  can 
any  existing  ecclesiastical  organization  claim  divine  author- 
ity for  the  particular  form  or  elements  of  its  constitution. 
5th — But  the  New  Testament  does  teach  by  precept  and 
example  certain  general  principles  of  church  organization, 
and  these  are  universally  and  perpetually  binding  on  all 
Christian  communities  jure  divino.  These  are:  (i)  "The 
right  of  the  people  to  take  part  in  the  government  of  the 
church.  Hence  the  divine  right  of  the  office  of  Ruling 
Elders,  who  appear  in  all  church  courts  as  representatives 
of  the  people.  (2)  The  appointment  and  perpetual  continu- 
ance of  Presbyters  as  ministers  of  the  Word  and  sacra- 
ments, with  authority  to  rule,  teach  and  ordain,  as  the  high- 
est permanent  officers  of  the  Church.  (3)  The  unity  of  the 
Church,  or  the  subjection  of  a  smaller  to  a  larger  part,  and 
of  a  larger  part  to  the  whole/'— Presbyterian,  April  21, 
1855.  That  within  the  limits  of  these  principles  Christ  had 
left  his  Church  free  to  do  His  work  under  the  guidance  of 
His  providence  and  Spirit,  in  the  manner  found  to  be  most 
effective  under  the  changing  conditions  of  time  and  place. 
The  second  point  of  his  doctrine  which  was  criticised  re- 


42O  THE  OFFICE  OF  RULING  ELDER.  [1843-60. 

lated  to  the  nature  of  the  office  of  Ruling  Elders.  He 
taught  in  this  respect  (i)  That  Christ  committed  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Church  to  the  people  or  communicants 
themselves,  in  connection  with  the  Presbyters  or  preachers 
and  pastors.  (2)  That  the  people  generally  exercised  their 
power  through  representatives  chosen  by  themselves,  and 
that  these  "  representatives  of  the  people "  are  our  Ruling 
Elders.  (3)  This  view  of  the  office  establishes  it  as  jure 
divino,  and  exalts  its  honor  and  usefulness.  (4)  That  it  is 
everywhere  asserted  and  assumed  in  our  standards  and  in 
those  of  the  Mother  Church  of  Scotland.  (5)  That  the 
rival  theory  of  the  nature  of  the  office,  which  made  the 
ministers  and  elders  one  order,  is  subversive  of  Presbyter- 
ianism.  It  provides  for  no  representation  of  the  lay  ele- 
ment. The  right  of  a  minister  to  preach  and  rule  is  inher- 
ent in  his  office.  In  all  ages  of  the  world  the  clergy  have 
formed  a  class  by  themselves.  The  rival  view  is  latent 
Episcopacy,  making  one  presbyter  the  permanent  president 
over  his  colleagues  of  the  session,  endowed  with  the  supreme 
power  of  administering  the  sacraments.  Our  form  of  gov- 
ernment groups  elders  and  deacons  together,  provides  for 
the  ordination  of  the  minister  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  of 
the  Presbytery,  and  on  the  other  hand  directs  that  a  single 
minister  shall  set  apart  an  elder  or  deacon  indifferently  to 
either  office,  by  the  proposition  of  a  list  of  questions,  by  the 
vote  of  the  people  to  be  represented,  and  by  prayer. 

These  views,  as  they  were  gradually  unfolded,  were, 
doubtless,  misapprehended  by  many,  and  were  certainly 
violently  attacked  and  misrepresented  in  the  newspapers 
and  some  of  the  church  courts  of  that  time.  It  would, 
however,  seem  that  they  have  been  substantially  accepted 
as  spund  by  the  church  at  large,  from  the  overwhelming 
vote  on  his  side  on  occasion  of  his  great  debate  with  Dr. 
Thornwell  on  the  Boards  of  the  Church,  in  the  General  As- 
sembly, in  Rochester,  1860;  from  the  publication  and  con- 
tinued circulation  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication 


AT.  57.]  RULING  ELDERS.  42 1 

of  his  address  on  "What  is  Presbyterianism ?"  of  1855,  and 
its  republication  with  emphatic  approbation  by  the  strictest 
Presbyterians  of  Scotland;  and  from  the  reception  recently 
given  to  the  volume  on  "  Church  Polity." 

DR.  HODGE   TO    DR.    JOHN    HALL. 

PRINCETON,  June  20,  1851. 

My  Dear  Sir  : — I  do  not  know  that  I  can  point  you  to  the  law  in 
the  book  which  contemplates  just  such  a  case  as  that  presented  in 
your  letter,  but  I  think  the  principles  which  regulate  it  are  perfectly 
plain. 

An  elder  is  a  representative  of  the  people  of  some  particular  con- 
gregation, selected  and  appointed  by  them  to  act  in  their  behalf  in 
some  judicatory  of  the  church.  He  can  act  as  such  representative 
only  when  duly  elected  for  that  purpose.  He  has  no  power  over  any 
congregation  except  in  virtue  of  their  delegation  of  it  to  him.  If  he 
is  divested  of  it  by  resignation,  deposition,  or  dismission,  he  cannot 
resume  it  again  any  more  than  a  Governor  of  a  State  could  resume 
his  office,  after  resignation  or  dismissal.  If  Governor  Fort  should 
resign  his  office  to  go  to  England  and  become  a  subject  of  Queen 
Victoria,  not  even  a  Philadelphia  lawyer  would  have  the  face  to 
maintain  he  could  on  his  return  (before  his  term  would  have  expired) 
resume  the  chair  again. 

The  sense  in  which  the  office  of  ruling  elder  is  said  to  be  perpetual 
is,  that  after  the  church  has  once  ascertained  to  her  satisfaction  that 
a  man  possesses  the  requisite  gifts  for  that  office,  and  has  solemnly 
testified  to  that  fact  by  his  ordination,  there  is  no  need  of  ever  repeat- 
ing that  service.  The  man  is  declared  to  belong  to  the  class  of 
elders,  i.  e.  of  those  to  whom  the  Spirit  has  given  the  gift  of  ruling, 
and  from  whom  any  congregation  may  select  their  rulers.  The 
reason  why  this  public  sanction  to  the  possession  of  the  necessary 
gift  is  required,  is  because  the  whole  church  is  one.  A  congrega- 
tional church  may  select  whom  it  pleases  for  deacons  or  elders,  be- 
cause their  functions  do  not  extend  beyond  the  limits  of  the  congre- 
gation. But  with  us  an  elder  in  a  particular  church  may  be  a  mem- 
ber of  Presbytery,  Synod  or  General  Assembly,  rule  over  the  whole 
church,  and  therefore  the  whole  has  the  right  to  prescribe  the  quali- 
fications for  the  office,  and  the  mode  in  which  their  possession  in  any 
case  shall  be  ascertained  and  authenticated ;  and  when  this  has  once 
been  done,  the  church  is  satisfied,  the  man  is  always  an  elder ;  any 
congregation  may  call  him  to  exercise  that  office  over  them.  But  he 
cannot  exercise  it  without  such  call,  any  more  than  a  minister  can 


42  2  FRESB  YTERIAN  PRINCIPLES.  [1855. 

act  as  pastor  of  a  given  congregation  without  a  call.  If  you" were  to 
resign  your  present  post,  turn  Episcopalian,  and  then  come  back  to 
Trenton,  who  would  say  you  could  without  re-election  have  a  right 
to  resume  your  office  ?  I  suspect  if  your  head  was  not  so  full  of  law* 
before  the  gospel  had  a  chance  to  enter  it,  you  never  could  have  had 
any  doubt  upon  such  a  case.  You  see  the  advantage  of  having  only 
one  profession.  You  men  of  two  trainings  always  see  double. 

Your  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE  TO   H.   A.    BOARDMAN. 

PRINCETON,  April  13,  1855. 

My  Dear  Sir: — The  only  objections  which  I  ever  heard  against  the 
doctrine  of  the  Church  as  presented  in  the  Repertory  are  :  I .  That 
it  left  the  visible  church  without  authority,  its  organization  being  alto- 
gether discretionary,  so  that  we  had  no  jus  divinum  ground  for  any 
part  of  our  system.  In  other  words,  that  we  held  Stillingfleet's  doc- 
trine— "Government  of  God,  the  form  of  man."  This  was  the  idea 

presented  in 's  published  letter  ;  this  is  the  objection  I  heard  from 

here,  and  from  other  quarters.  And  Professor  Green  has  just 

told  me  that  this  was  the  only  form  in  which  he  had  ever  heard  the 
objection.  To  this,  therefore,  I  directed  my  explanation,  and  showed 
that  our  doctrine  as  to  the  nature  of  the  Church  did  not  suppose  its 
organization  to  be  undetermined  or  indifferent,  and  that  for  myself 
I  fully  believed  that  the  discretion  of  the  Church  as  to  its  organization 
was  limited  to  details,  the  essential  principles  relating  to  it  being  pre- 
ceptively  enjoyed.  I  did  not  go  further  because  I  was  not  aware 
that  the  objection  went  further,  and  because  there  is  not  the  least 
shadow  of  ground  for  the  objection  in  any  other  form. 

In  my  lectures  I  endeavored  to  prove  :  i.  That  there  is  no  form 
of  church  organization  laid  down  in  Scripture  as  essential  to  the  be- 
ing of  the  Church — against  Papists  and  the  High-Church  party  of 
England. 

2.  There  is  no  plan  of  church  organization  prescribed  in  all  its  de- 
tails, so  as  to  leave  the  church  no  discretion  in  the  matter — against 
the  Seceders  and  Brownists  and  some  High-Church  Presbyterians. 

3.  That  there  are  certain  principles  relating  to  the  organization  of 
the  church  which  were  obligatory  as  matters  of  divine  precept,  as  e. 
g.  (i)  The  right  of  the  people  to  take  part  in  the  government  of  the 
church,  and  hence  the  divine  right  of  the  office  of  ruling  elders  as 
the  representatives  of  the  people.      (2)  The  appointment  of  Presby- 

*  Dr.  Hall  was  in  the  first  instance  trained  for  the  bar. 


^T.57-]  PRESBYTERIAN  PRINCIPLES.  423 

ters  as  rulers,  teachers  and  ordainers,  as  the  highest  permanent  office 
in  the  church — against  the  claims  of  prelacy,  asserting  the  parity  of 
the  ministry.  (3)  That  the  church  is  one,  and  therefore  each  part  is 
subject  to  the  larger  part  and  to  the  whole.  Hence  the  right  of  re- 
view and  control,  the  right  of  appeal  and  the  authority  of  church 
courts  as  laid  down  in  the  Westminster  Confession.  This  is  against 
the  Brownists  and  Independents  and  Congregationalists. 

It  would  have  been  very  easy  to  include  this  statement  in  the  article 
just  published  ("Bishop  Mcllvaine  on  the  Church")  had  I  been 
aware  of  the  nature  of  the  objections  made  to  the  former  articles. 
This  only  shows  the  impropriety  of  attacking  a  man  in  the  dark, 
making  general  charges  of  error  without  letting  him  know  what  the 
errors  are.  These  principles,  however,  have  been  so  often  and  in  so 
many  ways  presented  in  the  Repertory,  and  some  of  them  in  the 
pamphlet  signed  "  Geneva,"  which  you  had  such  a  hand  in  getting 
printed,  that  I  cannot  feel  called  on  to  assert  them  anew.  I  do  not 
think  it  would  be  becoming  in  me  to  come  out  with  them  now.  It 
seems  like  answering  publicly  charges  unnecessarily  as  they  have 
never  been  publicly  made. 

2.  The  only  other  objection  is  the  one  referring  to  the  relation  of 
infants  to  the  church,  which  I  hope  has  been  sufficiently  met. 

Thanking  you  for  your  kindness  in  this  whole  matter,  I  am 

Affectionately  yours, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

P.  S. — Since  writing  the  above  letter,  it  has  occurred  to  me  that  the 
accompanying  paper  might  be  printed  as  a  note  to  the  paragraph  on 
p.  355,  in  the  event  of  the  republication  of  the  article. 

I  perhaps  know  less  about  the  state  of  feeling  on  this  subject  than 
others.  I  have  heard  of  objections  from  various  quarters,  but  on  the 
other  hand  I  have  received  such  strong  expressions  of  approbation 
of  the  articles  from  many  unexpected  sources,  that  I  have  not  been 
led  to  suppose  that  there  were  any  extensive  misgivings  on  the  sub- 
ject. If  there  are  it  might  be  well  to  reprint  the  article  in  the  last 
number  as  a  pamphlet  with  the  note. 

THE   SAME   TO   THE    SAME. 

PRINCETON,  April  20,  1858. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  see  the  Presbyterian  contains  your  note  and  my 
answer.  I  think  I  am  done  now.  I  have  said  all  I  have  to  say,  and 
those  who  are  not  satisfied  must  seek  satisfaction  from  other  sources. 
*  *  *  It  is  humiliating  to  find  that  doctrines  and  views  which  are 
presented  in  almost  every  system  of  Protestant  theology  and  in  every 


424         CORRESPONDENCE  OF  DR.  CUNNINGHAM.         [1860. 

work  against  Popery  should  through  sheer  ignorance,  and  a  kind  of 
instinct  of  High-Churchism — the  working  of  what  Bunyan  calls  "the 
Pope  in  the  belly" — be  denied  by  Presbyterians — and  they  think 
they  are  thereby  serving  the  truth  !  Your  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

CORRESPONDENCE  OF  DR.  WM.  CUNNINGHAM. 

In  the  Witness,  of  Edinburgh,  February  29th,  1860,  in 
the  absence  and  without  the  knowledge  of  the  editor,  an 
article  entitled  the  "True  Idea  of  the  Church,"  in  which  J. 
A.  Wylie  expresses  his  contempt  for  the  articles  on  the 
church  by  Charles  Hodge,  republished  in  Scotland,  with  a 
preface  by  Dr.  Wm.  Hanna. 

The  same  paper,  on  the  3d  of  March,  contained  a  letter 
from  Principal  William  Cunningham. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Witness. 

EDINBURGH,  2901  Feb.,  1860. 

Dear  Sir: — I  hope  you  will  allow  me  to  record  in  your  columns  a 
protest  against  the  style  and  tone  exhibited  in  an  article  in  to-day's 
Witness,  with  reference  to  Dr.  Hodge,  of  Princeton.  Most  people,  I 
presume,  are  aware  that  he  is  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  influential 
expounders  and  defenders  of  Calvinism  in  the  present  day,  and  ad- 
mirably accomplished  in  almost  every  department  of  theological  lit- 
erature. There  is  no*  living  man  entitled  to  treat  him  in  the  very  pe- 
culiar style  in  which  the  author  of  the  article  referred  to  has  thought 
proper  to  indulge.  When  he  alleges  that  Dr.  Hodge  "  wanders  in 
darkness,  and  never  for  five  minutes  on  end  keeps  clear  of  contra- 
diction," that  "  in  his  pamphlet  the  contradictions  are  more  numer- 
ous than  the  pages,"  &c.,  &c.,  he  is  propounding  what  is  simply  ab- 
surd— so  absurd,  indeed,  as  to  be  incredible.  I  indicate  no  opinion 
as  to  the  subject  of  controversy  which  the  article  discusses. 

I  remain  yours  truly,  * 

WM.  CUNNINGHAM 

In  his  letter  dated  Edinburgh  July,  1 844,  a  part  of  which 
has  been  already  given,  Dr.  Cunningham  had  said,  "  I  re- 
ceived the  pamphlet  on  the  Eldership,  and  am  much  obliged 

*  Extracted  from  the  Witness  by  Alex.  M.  Sutherland,  Student,  New  College, 
Edinburgh. 


XT.  54-]    CORRESPONDENCE  OF  DR.  CUNNINGHAM.        425 

to  you  for  it.  I  have  never  been  able  to  make  up  my  mind 
fully  as  to  the  precise  grounds  on  which  the  office  and 
functions  of  the  ruling  elder  ought  to  be  maintained  and 
defended.  For  some  time  before  I  went  to  America  I  had 
come  to  lean  pretty  strongly  to  the  view  that  all  ecclesias- 
tical office-bearers  were  presbyters,  and  that  there  were  suf- 
ficiently clear  indications  in  Scripture  that  there  were  two 
distinct  classes  of  those  presbyters,  viz.  ministers  and  ruling 
elders ;  though  not  insensible  to  the  difficulty  attaching  to 
this  theory  from  the  consideration  that  it  fairly  implies  that 
wherever  presbyters  or  bishops  are  spoken  of  in  Scripture 
ruling  elders  are  included.  I  have  been  a  good  deal  shaken 
in  my  attachment  to  this  theory  by  the  views  I  have  heard 
from  you,  but  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  abandon  it 
entirely.  If  I  am  spared  till  next  summer  I  must  examine 
it  with  more  care." 

DR.    CUNNINGHAM    TO    DR.    HODGE. 

EDINBURGH,  Oct.  16,  1852. 

My  Dear  Dr.  Hodge: — *  *  *  I  have  noticed  with  much  interest 
what  you  have  been  doing  and  suffering  of  late  years  in  domestic, 
official  and  literary  matters.  The  removal  of  your  two  venerable 
colleagues  was  well  fitted  to  produce  solemn  reflection,  and  must 
have  occasioned  to  you  no  little  anxiety.  I  am  glad  to  think  that  the 
arrangements  ultimately  made  in  the  Seminary  in  consequence  of 
Dr.  Miller's  death,  were  such  as  you  approved  and  desired,  and  I 
would  fain  hope  that  those  which  have  resulted  from  Dr.  Alexander's 
death  may  turn  out  equally  satisfactory. 

We  have  been  much  interested  in  and  pleased  with  the  way  in 
which  you  have  been  fighting  the  battles  of  the  faith  against  Drs. 
Bushnell  and  Park.  It  seems  to  be  still  as  necessary  now  as  ever  to 
be  contending  for  the  great  truths,  that  the  Bible  is  fitted  and  intend- 
ed to  be  a  rule  of  faith,  and  that  it  really  means  what  it  says  ;  for  it 
is  really  at  bottom  against  these  fundamental  principles,  these  prin- 
cipia  theologica,  that  the  views  of  Bushnell  and  Park  are  directed.  I 
have  been  a  good  deal  struck  of  late  with  the  importance  of  giving 
prominence  in  the  training  of  candidates  for  the  ministry,  especially 
under  the  head  of  the  History  of  Dogma,  to  the  illustration  of  the 
fairness  and  rationality  of  the  process  by  which  the  right  use  of  the 


426         CORRESPONDENCE  OF  DR.  CUNNINGHAM.         [1852. 

Bible  has  produced,  and  of  course  still  sa-nctions,  the  substance  of  the 
common  orthodox  formula  employed  in  the  statement  of  the  funda- 
mental doctrines  of  Christian  theology.  This  appears  to  me  of  much 
importance  for  guarding  young  men  against  some  of  the  influences 
which  are  in  this  present  day  most  apt  to  mislead  them. 

We  continue  to  enjoy  in  the  Free  church  a  large  measure  of  out- 
ward prosperity,  and  we  are  improving,  I  think,  to  some  extent,  the 
opportunities  of  usefulness  which  the  Lord  has  set  before  us.  The 
chief  difficulties  that  have  sprung  up  among  us,  and  that  still  threaten 
somewhat  our  peace  and  usefulness,  are  connected  with  our  arrange- 
ments about  theological  education.  There  had  grown  up  among 
many  of  our  brethren,  through  the  latent  influence,  I  fear,  of  a  class 
of  motives  of  a  somewhat  low  and  unworthy  description,  a  desire  to 
multiply  theological  seminaries  beyond  what,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  our 
circumstances  and  means  require  or  admit  of,  and  to  the  manifest 
detriment  of  theological  education.  This  has  led  to  some  very  un- 
pleasant and  somewhat  dangerous  discussions,  and  is  likely,  I  fear, 
to  lead  to  more.  I  sometimes  feel  perplexed  as  to  the  course  I  ought 
to  pursue  in  the  matter.  I  have  hitherto  been  able  to  prevent  any 
actual  step  being  taken  in  the  way  of  college  extension,  as  we  call  it, 
but  I  do  not  see  very  clearly  how  long  and  how  far  the  opposition  to 
it  ought  to  be  carried.  One  painful  and  dangerous  feature  of  the 
case  is  that  while  many  of  the  ministers  are  in  favor  of  college  ex- 
tension, the  eldership,  except  where  mere  local  feelings  come  into 
operation,  are  generally  opposed  to  it. 

We  had  some  fear  that  we  should  be  called  upon  to  preach,  as  Dr. 
Erskine,  who  succeeded  Dr.  Witherspoon  as  leader  of  the  evangelical 
party  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  did  about  eighty  years  ago,  upon 
the  question,  "  Shall  we  go  to  war  with  our  American  brethren?" 
But  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  all  danger  of  a  result  so  disastrous  as  a  war 
between  the  United  States  and  Britain  is  overpast.  There  are  not  a 
few  amongst  us  who  have  serious  apprehensions  of  a  continental 
crusade  against  Protestantism  and  freedom.  And  if  Britain  should 
be  compelled  in  self-defence  to  fight  against  Popery  and  arbitrary 
power,  we  would  confidently  expect  the  sympathy  and  assistance  of 
the  United  States.  It  has  been  alleged  that  Lord  Palmerston  had  re- 
solved, if  he  had  continued  in  office,  that  in  the  event  of  the  foreign 
troops  not  being  soon  withdrawn  from  the  States  of  the  Church,  he 
would  have  taken  possession  of  Sicily  and  established  a  constitu- 
tional government  there.  And  I  do  not  regard  it  as  a  thing  very  un- 
likely, or  very  much  to  be  deprecated,  that  we  may  see  a  combined 
British  and  American  fleet  sweeping  the  Mediterranean,  protecting 
Sardinia  and  liberating  all  the  rest  of  Italy. 


^rr.  59-]  DR.  CUNNINGHAM'S  REVIEW.  427 

I  made  a  tour,  lately,  of  a  month  on  the  Continent,  visiting  the 
principal  towns  of  Holland  and  Belgium,  the  Rhine  as  far  as  Stras- 
burgh,  and  Paris.  My  colleague,  Dr.  Buchanan,  was  with  me,  and 
we  enjoyed  it  vastly.  But  on  my  return  I  found  my  youngest  child — 
a  girl  of  1 8  months — dead,  though  not  buried,  and  another  child — a 
boy  of  6  years — dying.  The  boy  lived  five  days  after  my  return,  and 
his  whole  deportment  was  of  a  kind  fitted  to  encourage  the  hope  that 
the  Lord  was  graciously  dealing  with  his  soul  to  prepare  him  for 
heaven.  It  has  been  a  very  painful  trial,  but  I  trust  we  have  been 
enabled  to  say,  "  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away; 
blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

I  am  glad  to  see  that  your  vacation  has  been  extended  to  sixteen 
weeks.  Would  you  not  think  of  visiting  the  Old  World  again,  and 
giving  a  few  weeks  to  Scotland  ?  There  are  many  here  who  would 
rejoice  to  see  your  face  in  the  flesh.  There  are  few  things  that  would 
afford  me  more  pleasure.  I  hope  you  will  forgive  my  negligence  and 
procrastination  and  write  to  me  soon. 

Present  my  kindest  regards  to  the  members  of  your  family,  to  your 
colleagues  in  the  Seminary  and  College,  so  far'  as  I  know  them,  and 
believe  me  to  be,  my  dear  Dr.  Hodge, 

Your  affectionate  friend, 

WM.  CUNNINGHAM. 

In  July,  1857,  Dr.  Cunningham  published  in  the  British 
and  Foreign  Evangelical  Review  an  elaborate  review  of  the 
volume  entitled  "  Essays  and  Reviews,"  by  Charles  Hodge, 
published  that  year  by  Robert  Carter  &  Brothers.  In  con- 
nection with  an  analysis  and  estimate  of  the  contents  of  the 
volume,  Dr.  Cunningham  says :  "  Our  readers  are  well 
aware  that  Dr.  Hodge  is  the  senior  Professor  at  Princeton, 
the  oldest  and  most  important  theological  seminary  of  the 
Old-School  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States — a 
Church  which  constitutes  the  most  numerous  and  the  most 
influential  Presbyterian  body  in  the  world.  He  was  chiefly 
known  in  this  country  by  his  Commentary  on  Paul's  Epis- 
tle to  the  Romans,  until  some  of  his  articles  in  the  Prince- 
ton Review  were  republished  among  us.  The  recent  publi- 
cation of  his  Commentaries  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians 
and  on  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  and  the  collec- 
tion into  one  volume  of  his  leading  Essays  and  Reviews, 


428  DR.  CUNNINGHAM'S  REVIEW.  [1857. 

have  made  him  well  known  in  this  country,  and  have  done 
much  to  promote  the  diffusion  of  sound  theology.  He  is 
now  recognized  by  general  consent  as  one  of  the  very  first 
theologians  of  the  present  day.  He  has  a  very  fine  com- 
bination of  the  different  qualities  that  go  to  constitute  a 
great  theologian,  both  as  to  mental  capacities  and  endow- 
ments, and  as  to  acquired  knowledge  and  habits.  His  tal- 
ents and  attainments  seem  to  fit  him  equally  for  the  critical 
and  exact  interpretation  of  Scriptural  statements,  and  for 
the  didactic  and  polemic  exposition  of  leading  doctrines. 
He  seems  to  be  about  equally  at  home  in  the  writings  of 
the  great  systematic  divines  of  the  seventeenth  century  and 
in  those  of  the  most  distinguished  continental  divines  of 
the  present  day.  While  solid  ability  and  extensive  erudi- 
tion are  the  most  obvious  and  fundamental  characteristics 
of  his  writings,  he  exhibits  also  a  play  of  fancy  and  a  power 
of  sarcasm,  which,  though  rarely  indulged,  and  kept  much 
under  restraint,  do  contribute  not  a  little  to  make  them  more 
interesting  and  more  effective. 

"But  it  is  more  important  to  advert  to  the  place  which  Dr. 
Hodge  occupies,  and  the  services  which  he  has  rendered  as 
an  expounder  and  defender  of  theological  doctrine.  And 
here  the  substance  of  what  we  have  to  say  is,  that  he  has 
rendered  invaluable  services  to  the  cause  of  sound  Christian 
doctrine  by  the  talent  and  erudition,  the  manliness  and  the 
effectiveness,  the  moderation  and  the  firmness,  with  which 
he  has  maintained  and  defended  the  Calvinistic  system  of 
theology  against  the  assaults  of  every  description  of  op- 
ponents. 

"  *  *  *  We  regret  that  we  have  not  space  to  quote  any 
portion  of  the  article  upon  the  question,  '  Is  the  Church  of 
Rome  a  part  of  the  Visible  Church?"  About  ten  or  twelve 
years  ago,  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Old-School  Pres- 
byterian Church  decided  that  the  Church  of  Rome  is  not 
a  part  of  the  visible  Church;  that  consequently  Romish 
baptism  is  invalid,  and  that  converts  from  the  Church  of 


^T.  59.]  DR.  CUNNINGHAM'S  REVIEW.  429 

Rome  ought  to  be  rebaptized.  Dr.  Hodge  and  his  col- 
leagues at  Princeton  did  not  approve  of  this  decision,  but 
adhered  to  the  opposite  view,  which  had  been  held  by  the 
Reformers,  and  by  the  great  body  of  Protestant  divines  ever 
since  the  Reformation.  The  grounds  of  their  opposition 
to  the  deliverance  of  the  General  Assembly  are  set  forth  in 
this  article.  It  is  characterized  by  its  author's  usual  ability 
and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  subject,  and,  we  are  per- 
suaded, fully  establishes  its  leading  position.  It  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  the  General  Assembly  of  so  respectable  and 
influential  a  body  should  have  ventured  to  give  such  a  de- 
liverance, in  opposition  to  the  whole  Protestant  Churches, 
and  to  their  own  most  distinguished  divines. 

"We  have  room  now  only  to  express  our  profound  re- 
spect and  admiration  for  Dr.  Hodge  as  a  theologian,  cur 
deep  sense  of  the  magnitude  of  the  services  he  has  ren- 
dered to  the  Church  of  Christ  and  the  cause  of  sound  doc- 
trine, and  our  earnest  desire  and  hope  that  he  may  be  long 
spared  to  discharge  the  important  public  duties  to  which  in 
providence  he  has  been  called,  and  for  the  efficient  perform- 
ance of  which  he  has  been  so  richly  furnished  by  the  Head 
of  the  Church." 

Dr.  Wm.  Walker,  of  Dysart,  Scotland,  sends  me  the  fol- 
lowing through  my  good  friend,  Dr.  Robt.  Watts,  of  Belfast : 

"  By  the  way,  I  can  give  you  an  anecdote,  whose  authen- 
ticity I  can  vouch  for,  because  the  man  himself  told  me. 

"  One  of  our  students,  an  accomplished  fellow,  took  it 
into  his  head  that  he  would  like  to  go  to  Princeton.  But 
he  was  anxious  not  on  that  account  to  lose  a  year.  So  he 
consulted  Cunningham,  putting  to  him  the  question,  whether 
he  thought  a  session  there  would  count. 

"  'COUNT!'  said  Cunningham,  taking  a  snuff  and  speaking 
in  that  curious  falsetto  voice  which  he  sometimes  used 
when  he  wanted  to  be  emphatic.  'Of  course  it  would. 
My  only  difficulty  is  this :  whether  a  session  there  under 
Hodge  should  not  count  TWO.'" 


43 O  DR.  HODGE'S  RESPONSE,  [1857. 

"  DR.  HODGE  TO  DR.  CUNNINGHAM. 

PRINCETON,  August  24,  1857. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  am  very  much  in  your  debt  for  your  letter,  your 
address  and  your  review.  I  have  no  means  of  payment,  and  must 
compound  and  pay  only  a  shilling  in  the  pound.  I  rejoice  very 
much  in  the  success  with  which  you  have  opposed  the  course  of  the 
North  British  Review.  Mr.  Isaac  Taylor  has  evidently  got  out  of 
his  depth.  It  is  often  the  case  that  a  man  of  genius  and  general 
learning  makes  shipwreck  when  he  enters  on  purely  professional 
subjects,  the  logical  relations  of  which  he  has  never  studied.  He  never 
could  have  written  as  he  did  had  he  seen  how  entirely  subversive  of 
the  authority  of  the  Bible  his  views  on  inspiration  and  other  matters 
necessarily  were.  Dr.  Chalmers'  fame  is  part  of  the  heritage  of 
Presbyterianism,  and  your  vindication  of  his  memory  is  a  service  for 
which  all  Presbyterians  must  feel  grateful. 

The  degree  of  Doctor  in  Divinity  was  conferred  in  June  last  by  the 
College  of  New  Jersey  on  Professor  Lorimer,  and  announced  in  our 
papers.  I  presume  President  MacLean  communicated  officially  with 
Dr.  Lorimer  on  the  subject.  He  promised  to  do  so,  and  therefore  I 
did  not  think  it  necessary  to  trouble  either  him  or  Dr.  McCrie  with  a 
separate  letter.  It  was  owing  to  an  oversight  on  my  part  that  the  de- 
gree was  not  conferred  at  a  previous  meeting  of  the  Board  in  De- 
cember. 

I  do  not  know  what  to  say,  my  dear  sir,  in  reference  to  your  friend- 
ly exaggeration  of  the  merits  of  my  essays.  If  your  review  shall 
have  the  effect  of  commending  the  views  which  they  advocate  to  the 
favorable  regard  of  our  younger  theologians,  I  shall  rejoice.  I  have 
had  but  one  object  in  my  professional  career  and  as  a  writer,  and 
that  is  to  state  and  to  vindicate  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformed  Church. 
I  have  never  advanced  a  new  idea,  and  have  never  aimed  to  im- 
prove on  the  doctrines  of  our  fathers.  Having  become  satisfied  that 
the  system  of  doctrines  taught  in  the  symbols  of  the  Reformed 
Churches  is  taught  in  the  Bible,  I  have  endeavored  to  sustain  it,  and 
am  willing  to  believe  even  where  I  cannot  understand.  I  wish  to  ex- 
press the  special  gratification  I  have  derived  from  your  approbation 
of  the  views  expressed  in  the  articles  on  the  Church.  I  feel  this  the 
more  because  many  of  our  brethren  in  this  country  have  expressed 
great  dissatisfaction  with  those  articles.  I  am  persuaded,  however, 
that  they  contain  nothing  more  than  the  common  Protestant  doctrine 
on  the  subject.  I  have  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  rough  on  the  na- 
ture, attributes,  prerogatives  and  organization  of  the  church,  and  it 
has  been  a  favorite  object  with  me  to  prepare  them  for  the  press.  But 


MT.  56.]    CORRESPONDENCE   WITH  BISHOP  JOHNS.        43 1 

I  do  not  see  any  immediate  prospect  of  my  being  able  to  do  so,  as 
they  must  be  entirely  rewritten  and  enlarged. 

I  am  ashamed  to  send  you  a  letter  all  about  myself;  but  if  you  will 
pay  me  by  writing  me  one  equally  egotistical  I  will  forgive  myself. 
My  summer  vacation,  which  I  hoped  to  turn  to  good  account  in 
writing,  has  been  broken  up  by  my  having  to  leave  home  repeatedly 
to  attend  a  sick  daughter-in-law,  with  whom  Mrs.  Hodge  has  been 
obliged  to  spend  the  whole  summer. 

With  great  respect  and  affection,  your  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  BISHOP  JOHNS. 
BISHOP  JOHNS  TO  DR.  HODGE. 

RICHMOND,  Jan.  23,  1849. 

Dear  Charles:—  *  *  *  *  *  *  But  that  notice  of  the  "Apostolical 
Constitutions"!*  Part  of  it  is  too  funny.  Have  you  read  it?  I 
thought  I  would  have  shaken  out  of  my  chair  as  I  ran  my  eyes  over 
the  writer's  demonstration  that  of  all  others  Presbyterianism  comes 
nearest  the  platform  exhibited  in  said  Constitutions !  Well  if  the 
honest  soul  finds  the  model  up  there,  it  would  be  a  pity  to  deprive 
him  of  the  satisfaction,  and  indeed  the  process  is  so  amusingly  down- 
right, that  I  could  hardly  help  slapping  the  good  fellow  on  the  back, 
and  exclaiming  '  Well  done,  my  hearty ! '  I  hope  for  my  sake 
"  he  has  a  few  more  of  the  same  sort  left." 

I  have  not  cut  the  leaves  of  the  VI  article,f  and  don't  think  I  shall. 
They  say  I  am  too  favorably  inclined  toward  that  kind  already,  and 
I  have  no  idea  of  coming  under  further  suspicion.  I  shall  read  no 
more  on  that  side  till  I  get  hold  of  your  book,t  which  if  the  duration 
of  pregnancy  be  any  indication  of  the  bulk  of  the  thing  to  be  born, 
will  certainly  be  as  much  as  I  can  stagger  under  for  the  rest  of  my 
days.  Yours  truly, 

J.  JOHNS. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    BISHOP   JOHNS. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  17,  1854. 

My  Dear  John  : — I  knew  an  excellent  man,  a  pastor  of  a  Presby- 
terian Church,  who,  whenever  he  was  conscious  of  having  neglected 

*  An  article  entitled  "Apostolical  Constitutions."— Princeton  Review. 

f  Review  of  Dr.  Miller's  "  Manual  of  Presbytery."     January,  1849. 

\  A  book  on  "  The  Church''  which  Dr.  Hodge  began  but  never  completed. 


432         CORRESPONDENCE    WITH  BISHOP  JOHNS.       [1854. 

his  duty  and  gone  into  the  pulpit  without  preparation,  took  to  scold- 
ing the  people.  You  are  one  of  the  same  sort.  Your  conscience  has 
been  upbraiding  you  all  this  time  for  your  shameful  neglect  of  me  last 
fall,  when  you  were  weeks  and  months  within  two  hours  ride,  and 
never  came  near  me ;  and  now  you  relieve  yourself  by  a  good  scold. 
I  hope  you  feel  better ;  and  as  it  is  very  unpleasant,  as  you  know,  to 
be  mad  at  oneself,  I  trust  you  will  behave  better  another  time.  I 
inquired  of  you  when  that  sham  trial  was  going  on  from  every  stray 
Episcopalian  I  could  meet,  sent  messages  to  you,  provided  the  messen- 
ger should  fall  in  with  you,  but  I  did  not  know  where  to  address  you. 
I  knew  you  did  not  stay  in  Camden,  and  I  knew  not  where  you  staid 
in  New  York.  And  when  I  heard  you  had  at  last  gone  home  without 
stopping,  I  was  so  mad  I  could  hardly  have  spoken  to  you  in  the 
street. 

I  am  glad  you  are  going  to  resign  the  Presidency.*  One  office  is 
enough.  You  will  never  find  relief,  however,  until  you  get  back  to 
primitive  episcopacy,  when  a  diocese  was  no  larger  than  a  parish.  An 
ancient  province,  half  as  large  as  Virginia,  then  had  300  bishops.  I 
wish  they  could  make  you  bishop  of  Alexandria,  (Va).,  and  be  done 
with  it ;  and  then  you  could  stay  at  home  like  an  honest  man. 

I  am  glad,  too,  to  hear  that  your  boys  are  settled  to  their  own  and 
your  satisfaction.  Give  my  love  to  Nancy  and  ask  her  to  come  and 
make  us  a  visit,  and  try  the  effect  of  a  northern  winter.  I  do  not  be- 
lieve in  Williamsburg,  and  rejoice  you  are  going  to  leave  it. 

What  a  dreadful  scene  of  protracted  suffering  the  wreck  of  the  San 
Francisco  must  have  exhibited.  The  Doctor's  (his  brother)  brother- 
in-law,  Mr.  Woolsey  Aspinwall,  was  one  of  the  passengers.  He  is 
threatened  with  a  pulmonary  complaint  and  was  going  to  Valparaiso 
for  his  health.  He  was  one  of  those  taken  off  by  the  Kilby,  and  was 
for  two  weeks  aboard  that  vessel,  crowded  beyond  measure,  without 
a  change  of  clothes,  with  scarcely  anything  to  eat,  and  little  water, 
and  all  the  time  in  imminent  peril.  He  is  now  in  New  York  dread- 
fully exhausted,  but  likely  to  do  well. 

I   sympathize  with  you  in  your  building  troubles.     Get  a  good  book 

(as  I  am  told  it  is)  written  by  a  very  foolish   man,  Prof.  F ,  the 

phrenologist,  on  octagon  houses.  I  have  seen  some  plans  of  his 
which  were  striking,  not  only  from  their  effect,  but  for  the  wonderful 
facilities  and  roominess,  which  that  form  allows  of,  at  a  moderate 
expense.  Nutman  of  Philadelphia  furnished  R.  S.,  my  next  neigh- 
bor, a  plan  of  a  Gothic  cottage,  which  cost  some  $14000,  and  has  liter- 
ally two  parlors  and  two  chambers,  and  no  more,  except  a  square 

*  Of  William  and  Mary's  College,  Va. 


JKt.  57.]     CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  BISHOP  JOHNS.        433 

room  of  eight  by  ten  feet  over  the  entry.  This  house,  where  I  live,  has 
four  rooms  on  the  first  floor  and  five  on  the  second,  three  finished 
rooms  in  the  attic,  besides  three  finished  rooms  in  the  basement,  and 
cost  less  than  $5000  thirty  years  ago.  Build  either  an  octagon  or  a 
square  house,  and  eschew  anything  pointed  unless  you  mean  to  build 
a  palace. 

Mrs.  Hodge  and  myself  will  (D.  V.)  return  your  and  Mrs.  Johns' 
visit  right  off  when  we  get  it.  How  can  we  do  it  before  we  get  it  ? 
Answer  that ! 

With  much  love  to  all  about  you,  yours  as  young  as  ever  while 
writing  to  you.  God  bless  you,  dear  John. 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

BISHOP  JOHNS  TO  DR.  HODGE. 

MALVERN,  August  3ist,  1855. 

Dear  Charles  : — I  did  not  recognize  the  hand-writing  on  the  envel- 
ope. Perhaps  this  was  owing  to  the  diminution  of  visual  discernment 
which  comes  with  the  infirmities  of  age,  or  from  want  of  practice 
arising  from  lack  of  opportunity ,  which  I  deprecate.  When  I  stripped 
the  pamphlet,  Nannie  was  sitting  by  me,  and  as  soon  as  she  saw  the 
title  on  its  cover,  "What  is  Presbyterianism  ?  "*  she  exclaimed, 
"  How  uninteresting !  "  We  both  supposed  it  to  be  a  new  issue  from 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Sunday  School  Union,  and  probably  like 
the  "  Presbyterian  in  search  of  the  Church,"  the  parthian  production 
from  some  deserter  from  your  own  ranks.  Under  this  impression  it 
was  very  near  going  unread,  and  unopened  to  add  to  the  pile  reserv- 
ed for  the  fire.  Happily  it  was  rescued  by  the  curling  of  the  cover, 
as  I  held  it  in  my  hand  disclosing  the  entry  on  the  blank  leaf,  a  line 
more  precious  to  me  than  all  the  valuable  publications  of  the  Presby- 
terian Board,  this  pamphlet  itself  included.  I  cannot  describe  to  you 
the  sudden  revulsion  produced  by  this  discovery.  I  will  not  say  that  I 
read  the  essay  through  without  taking  breath,  but  certainly  I  allowed 
nothing  to  interfere  till  I  finished  its  perusal,  for  I  was  prepared  to 
find  that  under  your  skilful  showing  the  subject  of  the  treatise  could 
present  attractions  not  commonly  apprehended.  And  now  if  we  were 
only  together,  how  I  should  like  to  hold  the  picture  in  my  hand  and 
answer  you  by  my  simple  comments.  As  the  great  gratification  of 
being  with  you  is  denied  me,  I  must  briefly  report  my  impressions, 
just  to  indicate  how  far  an  honest  Prelatist  and  a  conscientious  Pres- 
byterian may  agree.  And  to  begin  at  the  end:  — 

*  Delivered  before  the  Presbyterian  Historical  Society,  and  published  by  the 
Board  of  Publication. 
28 


434         CORRESPONDENCE   WITH  BISHOP  JOHNS.       [1855. 

1.  Your  condemnation  of  Congregationalist  is  quite  to  our  mind. 

2.  Your  advocacy  of  the  "  rights  of  the  people  with  subjection  to 
legitimate   authority,"  is  our   doctrine  out   and   out,  though   in   the 
arrangements  for  the  exercise  of  the  popular  element,  we  differ,  yet 
that  element  pervades  our  ecclesiastical  system  from  the  appointment 
of  parish  officers  and  ministers,  up  to  canonical  enactments,  and  to 
the  consecration  of  bishops.     Nothing  is  done  without  the  concur- 
rence of  the  Laity.     On  this  point  we  adopt  your  great  principle,  but 
cannot  acquiesce  in  your  exclusive  claims. 

3.  In  your  opinion  with  regard  to  the  limitations  of  the  Apostolic 
office  to  the  Apostles  themselves,  that  it  was  not  to  be  perpetual   in 
the  Church,  this  as  you  are  aware  was  the  view  of  the  leading  divines 
of  the   Church   of  England  down  to  the  days  of  Laud,  and  in  the 
standards  of  that  Church  there  is  not  a  line  to  sustain  what  you  con- 
trovert so  ably.     Those  who  maintain  the  contrary  are  alone  respon- 
sible for  their  error. 

4.  I  do  not  think  you  have   distinguished  as  clearly  as  I  wished 
you  had  done  between  the  Church  of  England    and  the  Anglican 
party  in  that  Church.     Common  readers  would  be  apt  to  regard  them 
as  one  and  the  same,  and  to  impute  to  the  body,  the  sentiments  of  a 
faction.     Have  you  made  the  faction  the   body,  and  the   Church  a 
scarcely  observable  caudal  appendage  ? 

5.  With  regard  to  exclusive  claims  you  will  not  forget  that  as  far  as 
Protestants  are  concerned,  Cartwright  &  Co.,  are  entitled  to  the  dis- 
covery.     It  was   expressly  combated   by  Hooker   and   others,  see 
"  Goode's  Vindication." 

6.  That  the  Apostolic  office  was  not  permanent  does  not  prove  that 
they  did  not  appoint  an  order  in  the  Church  properly  Episcopal.     For 
although  it  would  not  be  easy  to  prove  that  they  did  so  from  Scripture 
alone,  yet  connected  with  ancient  authors,  on  whose  testimony  as  to 
facts  we  all  rely,  and  which  it  seems  impossible  to  dispose  of  on  any 
other  theory,  the  fact  was  so,  see  "  Litton  on  the  Church." 

7.  It  strikes  me  that  our  Presbyterian  brethren  have  fallen  into  the 
Romish  error  of  suppressing  what  was  an  Apostolic  order,  then  split- 
ting another  to  supply  its  place  ;  abolishing  the    Episcopate  proper, 
and  then   dividing  the   office  of  Presbyter.     On  this  point  of  the 
Ruling-Eldership,  I  was  struck  with  the  adroitness  of  the  essay. 

8.  What  have  you  done   with  the  office   usually  styled  the   Dea- 
conate  ? 

But  you  are  tired,  and  my  paper  only  leaves  room  to  say  that  my 
daughters  join  me  in  most  affectionate  regards  to  your  family  and 
self.  With  unchanged  and  unchangeable  love,  your  brother, 

J.  JOHNS. 


JET.  61.]  DEATH  OF  DR.  J.   W.  ALEXANDER.  435 

THE    DEATHS  OF  DR.  JAMES    AND   JOSEPH  A.  ALEXANDER. 

He  suffered  the  great  sorrow,  in  which  a  wide  public 
sympathized,  occasioned  by  the  quickly  succeeding  deaths 
of  his  life-long  and  intimate  friends,  the  illustrious  brothers, 
Drs.  James  W.  and  Joseph  Addison  Alexander.  The 
elder  brother  died  on  the  3ist  of  July,  1859,  at  the  Red 
Sweet  Springs  in  the  mountains  of  his  native  Virginia. 
His  biographical  memorial  is  principally  the  two  volumes 
of  letters,  the  record  of  his  correspondence  of  forty  years 
with  his  bosom  friend,  the  Rev.  John  Hall,  D.  D.,  of  Tren- 
ton, N.  J.  With  reference  to  the  publication  of  these 
remarkable  volumes  the  following  letters  of  Dr.  Hodge 
to  Dr.  John  Hall  remain. 

PRINCETON,  Sept.  28,  1859. 

My  Dear  Sir : — There  is,  I  presume,  no  difference  of  opinion 
among  the  friends  of  our  beloved  friend,  Dr.  J.  W.  Alexander,  that 
some  work  commemorative  of  the  man  and  his  character  should  be 
prepared.  There  is,  I  think,  just  as  little  difference  in  judgment  that 
you  and  you  only  are  the  proper  person  to  perform  this  sacred  duty. 
I  need  not  state  the  reasons  of  this  judgment.  Your  life-long  inti- 
mate association  with  him,  and  your  possession  of  the  fullest  record 
of  his  thought  and  feelings,  are  enough  to  determine  this  point.  His 
brother  Addison  tells  me  that  you  have  written  to  urge  him  to  under- 
take this  task.  I  sincerely  believe  that  he  cannot  do  it.  You  know 
as  well  as  I  do  that  what  is  painful  to  him  in  the  way  of  mental  or 
literary  effort,  becomes  impossible.  His  feelings  are  in  such  a  state 
that  I  am  persuaded  he  could  not  turn  his  mind  to  this  work.  It 
would  be  like  busying  himself  for  months  about  the  funeral  of  his 
brother.  It  is  best  for  him  and  his  usefulness  to  have  his  mind  occu- 
pied with  other  things.  I  do  trust,  therefore,  that  you  will  yield  to 
the  judgment  and  wishes  of  those  most  interested  and  best  qualified 
to  judge,  and  consent  to  begin  the  work  without  delay.  This  is  a 
point  I  think  of  much  importance.  Whatever  is  done  should  be 
done  at  once.  The  interest,  the  usefulness  and  success  of  any  book 
which  may  be  written  would  be  the  greater  the  sooner  it  is  in  the 
hands  of  the  public. 

The  only,  real  question  in  this  matter,  is,  what  kind  of  work  should 
be  prepared  ?  As  to  this  point  Dr.  Addison  Alexander  and  myself 
fully  agree.  It  ought  not  to  be  a  memoir  of  his  life  ;  not  a  biography. 


436  DEATH  OF  DR.  J.  W.  ALEXANDER.  [1860. 

The  materials  for  such  a  work  are  too  few  ;  and  to  make  a  biography 
in  name  while  the  letters  are  relied  upon  to  give  interest  and  import- 
ance to  the  work,  is,  I  think,  sure  to  fail ;  for  it  will  be  neither  one 
thing  nor  the  other.  What  would  be  most  interesting,  most  instruc- 
tive, most  useful  and  most  truly  an  exhibition  of  the  man,  would  be 
a  volume  or  volumes  containing  your  correspondence  with  him  from 
beginning  to  end,  your  letters  and  his.  This  would  be  a  unique 
work.  It  would  be  a  literary,  a  theological,  a  religious  and  a  conver- 
sational history  of  the  past  forty  years.  Your  letters  are  as  important 
in  such  a  work  as  his,  and  needed  for  the  explanation  of  his.  You 
could  give  your  name  or  not.  I  would  give  it.  But  you  might  entitle 
the  book  "The  correspondence  of  Dr.  J.  W.  A.  and  one  of 

his  Friends  from  1 8 to  18 ."     These  letters   are  yours.     You 

only  can  revise  them.  You  only  can  say  what  should  and  what 
should  not  be  published.  Do  give  this  suggestion  a  favorable  hear- 
ing. It  is  entitled  to  serious  consideration.  No  mere  feeling  of  re- 
luctance to  bringing  your  own  letters  before  the  public  should  lead 
you  to  deprive  the  world  of  a  work  which  would  be  of  such  peculiar 
interest  and  value.  Your  affectionate  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

THE    SAME   TO   THE    SAME. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  iyth,  1860. 

My  Dear  Sir  : — I  had  entirely  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  Dr.  James 
Alexander  was  ever  the  Editor  of  the  Princeton  Review,  or  that  after 
1 829  it  ever  had  an  Editor.  It  was  conducted  by  an  association  of  gen- 
tlemen in  Princeton  and  its  vicinity  from  1829  until  after  the  death  of 
Dr.  Archibald  Alexander.  That  imprint  continued  to  be  used  until 
1840,  when,  although  the  association  continued,  reference  to  it  was 
not  made  on  the  title  page.  Dr  Addison  tells  me  he  knows  that  his 
brother  acted  as  editor  in  1830,  and  thinks  he  continued  to  do  so 
when  he  went  to  Philadelphia. 

The  sixty  page  article  on  Transcendentalism  was  written  by  Drs. 
James  and  Dod — the  former  writing  the  first  thirty  pages,  a  survey 
of  the  German  aspect  of  the  case,  and  the  latter  the  critique  on  Cousin. 
The  article  on  the  Modern  Form  of  Infidelity,  relating  to  the  discus- 
sion between  Ripley  and  Norton,  was  written  by  me.  The  whole  of 
the  Transcendental  article  and  a  good  part  of  the  other  were  printed 
in  a  pamphlet,  under  the  auspices  of  Professor  Norton.  I  have  seen 
the  pamphlet  but  have  not  now  a>  copy  of  it. 

Why  do  you  strike  out  the  playful  parts  of  his  letters  ? 

Your  friend,  CHARLES  HODGE. 

You  are  .too  free  with  your  stamps.     Does  Uncle  Sam  supply  you  ? 


JRT.  62.]  DEATH  OF  DR.  J.  A.  ALEXANDER.  437 

On  Saturday  afternoon,  the  28th  of  January,  1860,  his 
life-long  friend  and  most  eminent  colleague,  Dr.  Joseph 
Addison  Alexander,  died.  In  consideration  of  Dr.  Alex- 
ander's unparalleled  learning  and  genius,  of  the  fact  that  he 
was  cut  off  in  the  flower  of  his  days — in  his  52d  year, — at 
the  very  beginning  of  what  promised  to  be  a  harvest  pro- 
portionate to  his  extraordinary  season  of  preparatory  culti- 
vation, and  the  fact  that  the  event  was,  to  the  apprehension 
of  his  friends,  very  sudden,  his  death  was  the  most  disas- 
trous blow  the  institutions  of  Princeton  ever  experienced. 
In  a  letter  to  the  writer,  Dr.  Hodge  declared  that,  with  the 
exception  of  the  death  of  his  wife,  the  death  of  Professor 
Alexander  was  the  greatest  sorrow  of  his  life. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  Sabbath  which  succeeded,  he 
broke  down  from  excess  of  emotion  while  attempting  to 
read  the  words,  "Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,"  and 
transferred  the  reading  to  Dr.  Green.  Afterwards  he  spoke 
at  length  of  his  friend,  concluding  thus :  "  In  all  my  inter- 
course with  men,  though  it  has  been  limited,  both  in  this 
country  and  Europe,  I  never  met  with  one  having  such  a 
combination  of  wonderful  gifts.  The  grace  of  God  most  to 
be  admired  was  that,  though  of  necessity  perfectly  familiar 
with  all  the  forms  of  error  held  by  the  enemies  of  the 
truth,  and  especially  the  most  insidious  one  of  criticism, 
he  had  a  most  simple,  child-like  faith  in  the  Scriptures,  and 
the  deepest  reverence  for  the  Word  of  God.  Above  all, 
his  crowning  glory  was  his  spirituality  and  devoted  piety. 
We  cannot  properly  estimate  our  loss  till  we  think  of  what 
he  was,  and  what  he  would  have  been,  for  he  was  only  fifty- 
two  years  old,  and  the  next  ten  years  is  the  best  period  of 
such  a  man's  life." 

He  wrote  to  Dr.  John  C.  Backus,  of  Baltimore,  January 
30,  1860: 

"  The  public  papers  will  have  informed  you  of  the  dread- 
ful blow  which  has  fallen  on  us,  by  which  we  are  almost 
overwhelmed.  You  cannot  tell  how  we  feel.  It  is  awful. 


438  DEATH  OF  DR.  J.  A.  ALEXANDER.  [1860. 

All  our  treasure  seems  suddenly  sunk  in  the  bosom  of  the 
sea.  Do  pray  for  us,  and  for  the  Seminary.  We  have  lost 
the  greatest  and  one  of  the  best  men  I  ever  knew." 

DR.  THORNWELL  TO  DR.  HODGE. 

THEOL.  SEMINARY,  Feb.  16,  1860. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  cannot  describe  to  you  the  interest  with 
which  I  have  read  your  letter,  nor  the  thoroughness  of  the  sympathy 
with  which  I  have  entered  into  your  case.  My  heart  bled  for  you 
from  the  very  beginning,  for  I  knew  precisely  how  you  felt  under  the 
severe  bereavement.  My  own  mind  was  so  greatly  shocked  that 
for  successive  days  and  nights  I  could  think  of  nothing  but  the  irre- 
parable loss  which  the  church  had  sustained.  It  was  not  my  good 
fortune  to  be  personally  known  to  the  deceased ;  but  I  admired  his 
genius,  his  learning,  his  piety  and  eloquence.  I  was  proud  of  him  as 
a  product  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  America,  and  he  had  not  a 
friend  on  earth  who  felt  a  heartier  satisfaction  in  the  growing  brill- 
iancy of  his  name.  His  commentaries  on  Acts  and  Mark  I  regarded 
as  models,  as  nearly  perfection  in  their  kind  as  human  skill  could 
make  them,  and  I  have  been  in  the  habit,  not  only  of  recommend- 
ing them,  but  of  insisting  on  my  classes  procuring  and  studying  them. 
Then  his  modesty  was  equal  to  his  worth.  So  free  from  vanity,  from 
ostentation,  from  parade  and  pretensions. 

But  my  dear  brother,  God  reigns.  Let  us  rejoice  that  we  have 
this  bright  and  beautiful  light  so  long  among  us.  It  was  given  in 
grace,  and  it  was  removed  not  without  wisdom  and  mercy.  We  must 
all  soon  follow.  I  feel  the  ties  constantly  snapping  which  bind  me 
to  earth.  Many  of  the  friends  and  companions  of  my  youth  are 
going  ;  darling  objects  of  domestic  affection  have  been,  one  by  one, 
removed  ;  cherished  schemes  have  been  blasted,  fond  hopes  crushed, 
the  world  has  lost  its  charms,  and  I  stand  like  a  pilgrim  with  my  staff 
in  my  hand  ready  to  depart  when  the  Master  shall  give  the  word.  I 
feel  that  all  is  vanity  but  Christ  and  His  Kingdom,  The  dead  are 
the  blessed  ones.  We  are  the  ones  to  be  pitied.  My  brother,  pray 
for  me  that  I  may  be  faithful.  To  be  found  in  Christ  a  loving,  thriv- 
ing member,  that  is  all  I  ask,  all  that  I  desire. 

I  have  written  currente  calamo  just  as  I  feel.  Excuse  my  freedom. 
Make  my  kindest  regards  to  Dr.  McGill.  The  Lord  bless  you  all ! 

Most  truly, 

J.  H.  THORNWELL. 


^2T.  62.]  CHOICE  OF  PROFESSORS.  439 

CHOICE   OF   A    NEW    PROFESSOR. 

This  supreme  loss  occasioned  the  necessity  for  a  consid- 
erable change  in  the  faculty.  No  one  man  could  fill  Dr. 
Alexander's  place.  The  different  plans  discussed  by  the 
Directors,  and  proposed  for  reference  to  the  impending 
General  Assembly,  are  stated  in  the  following  letter: 

DR.    HODGE    TO    DR.    JOHN    C.    BACKUS. 

PRINCETON,  March  5,  1860. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  have  had  it  in  mind  to  write  to  you  respecting 
our  affairs  in  the  Seminary,  but  have  been  too  much  occupied.  I 
ought  to  begin  by  stating  that  the  transfer  of  the  department  of  Ec- 
clesiastical History  from  Dr.  Alexander  to  Dr.  McGill  was  submitted 
to  most  reluctantly  by  all  concerned.  It  was  necessary  because  the 
former  had  got  into  such  a  state  of  mind  that  he  could  no  longer  lec- 
ture on  that  subject.  It  was  foreseen  that  it  would  overburden  Dr. 
McGill  or  necessitate  neglect  of  some  of  his  other  duties.  One  of  the 
conditions  therefore  to  be  answered  in  our  future  arrangements  is  to 
relieve  him.  He  has  now  Pastoral  Theology,  Homiletics  and  Church 
Government  and  Ecclesiastical  History.  This  is  altogether  too  much 
especially  considering  two  things,  (i)  That  from  disposition  and 
necessity  he  is  led  to  devote  much  time  to  our  external  affairs.  In 
doing  this  he  is  of  very  great  service  to  the  institution.  It,  however, 
is  a  great  burden.  He  tells  me  that  often  he  has  not  two  hours  of  the 
day  to  himself.  (2)  From  the  bent  of  his  mind  he  devotes  his 
strength  very  much  to  the  students  in  preaching  and  writing  sermons. 
Here  again  his  services  are  of  great  value,  but  this  leaves  little  time 
or  effort  comparatively  for  the  other  departments. 

Another  condition  to  be  met  in  our  plans,  is  to  provide  for  the  full 
development  of  the  New  Testament  department.  This  Dr.  Alexan- 
der had  chosen  for  the  field  on  which  to  bestow  his  immense  talents 
and  resources.  It  almost  breaks  my  heart  to  think  that  he  is  lost  to 
the  Church  just  as  he  was  beginning  with  new  vigor  to  consecrate  him- 
self to  that  work.  It  cannot  be  left  neglected.  That  department 
must  be  filled.  Dr.  Green  cannot  touch  it.  He  is  fully  occupied 
with  the  Old  Testament,  its  language,  literature,  history,  criticism, 
introduction  and  interpretation.  Surely  this  is  enough  for  any  man. 
I  cannot  enter  on  that  work.  I  have  much  in  my  own  field  which  I 
am  obliged  to  neglect. 

The  question  is,  how  are  these  two  great  objects  to  be  provided  for  ? 

(i.)  The  first  plan   proposed  was  to  get  a  man    of  established 


44O  CHOICE  OF  PROFESSORS.  [1860. 

reputation,  capable  of  filling  the  New  Testament  chair,  and  at  the 
same  time  of  taking  ecclesiastical  history  off  of  Dr.  McGill's  hands. 
To  this  it  was  objected  that  no  such  man  disengaged  or  available 
could  be  found. 

(2.)  The  second  plan  was  that  proposed  by  Dr.  Murray,  to  let  the 
New  Testament  department  go  and  to  allow  Dr.  McGill  to  keep 
Ecclesiastical  History  and  the  Church,  and  to  get  an  experienced 
pastor  to  take  the  practical  department.  To  this  there  are  two  great 
objections.  First  of  leaving  N.  T.  chair,  one  of  the  most  important, 
unprovided  for,  and,  secondly,  it  takes  Dr.  McGill  from  that  field  in 
which  he  is  evidently  doing  most  good. 

(3.)  The  third  plan  was  to  get  a  young  man,  not  less  than  thirty, 
however,  or  at  least  old  enough  to  have  his  character  well  tested,  and 
put  him  in  Dr.  Addison's  place  to  grow  up  to  it,  as  Dr.  Green  was 
placed  at  27  or  28  in  the  Old  Testament  department ;  and  as  I  was 
taken  still  younger  and  brought  along.  To  this  Dr.  McGill  decidedly 
objected  ;  first,  because  we  need  "  a  celebrity  "  at  once  to  hold  us  up, 
and,  secondly,  because  it  would  not  afford  him  the  desired  relief. 

(4.)  The  fourth  plan  is  to  try  and  get  two  men,  one  to  fill  the  New 
Testament  chair,  who  may  be  a  young  man,  and  the  other  a  man  of 
established  reputation  to  take  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Ecclesiology. 
In  this  fourth  plan  all  the  Professors  cordially  acquiesce,  and  so  do 
our  friends  as  far  as  consulted. 

The  two  objections  to  it  are,  (i),  That  other  Seminaries  have  only 
four  Professors.  This  I  do  not  think  will  have  any  weight  with  the 
Assembly  seeing  our  necessities  demand  the  increase.  (2).  The 
great  objection  is  the  expense.  This  would  be  fatal  unless  it  could 
be  obviated.  Our  friends  in  New  York  assure  us  this  shall  not  stand 
in  the  way  of  the  plan.  Now  my  dear  sir,  do  you,  one  of  our  wisest 
and  best  friends,  do  you  approve  of  this  plan  ?  And  if  so,  who  do 
you  think  would  be  the  desirable  man.  The  names  of  Dr.  Dabney 
and  Dr.  Palmer  have  both  been  named  for  the  chair  of  Church 
History,  &c.  I  suppose  the  latter  would  not  and  perhaps  ought 
not  to  leave  New  Orleans.  The  former  may  also  be  beyond  our 
reach. 

Perhaps  I  ought  to  mention  that  Wistar  (his  son)  has  been  named 
for  the  N.  T.  chair  as  the  young  man,  provided  we  can  get  a  man 
of  established  notoriety  for  the  other.  This  suggestion  you  will 
readily  believe  did  not  come  from  me.  I  do  not  know  who  first  made 
it.  It  has  received  favor  from  several  independent  sources.  I  should 
greatly  deprecate  it,  if  he  is  not  in  fact,  and  in  the  estimation  of  those 
who  have  an  opportunity  of  judging,  the  proper  person.  Wistar  him- 
self, I  know,  would  greatly  object,  first  because  he  regards  himself  as 


*T.  62.]  CHOICE  OF  PROFESSORS.  441 

unfit,  and,  secondly  because  he  would  prefer  to  get  along  without 
being  called  upon  to  make  so  much  exertion. 

I  hope  you  will  write  me  soon  on  this  subject,  and  aid  us  by  your 
prayers  and  counsel. 

Your  affectionate  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  April  4,  1860. 

My  Dear  Brother  :—\  am  driven  almost  to  death  by  demands  on 
my  pen  ;  letters  remain  unanswered  and  correspondents  neglected. 

The  plan  on  which  the  friends  of  the  Seminary  have  decided  to 
propose  to  the  Assembly,  is  to  have  two  new  professors,  one  a  man 
of  established  reputation  for  the  historical  department,  the  other  a 
younger  man  for  the  New  Testament  department.  The  Directors 
will  probably  recommend,  either  officially  or  indirectly  (they  doubt 
their  right  to  nominate),  Dr.  Dabney,  of  Virginia,  for  the  former, 
and  Wistar  for  the  latter  post.  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  Assembly 
will  consent  to  our  having  five  professors.  It  is  feared  that  the 
friends  of  the  other  Seminaries  will  oppose  it.  Provision,  however, 
is  made  for  the  salary  of  the  fifth  professor,  so  that  no  demand  for 
the  increased  expense  will  be  made  on  the  churches.  Should  the 
plan  be  adopted,  there  is  still,  of  course,  the  uncertainty  of  an  elec- 
tion in  a  body  of  200  members.  The  principle,  however,  is  so  gen- 
erally recognized  to  allow  the  friends  of  the  several  Seminaries  to 
select  their  own  professors,  that  the  probability  is  that  anybody  will 
be  elected  whom  our  Board  of  Directors  recommend. 

Wistar  is  dreadfully  mad  about  it,  and  hates  the  whole  thing.  I 
have  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter  except  to  express  the  opinion 
when  asked  that  he  had  the  talents  and  learning  which  the  post  de- 
manded to  as  promising  a  degree  as  any  young  man  I  know.  Dr. 
Leighton  Wilson,  Drs.  Boardman,  Jones,  Backus,  McElroy,  Mr. 
Lenox,  and  others,  had  their  minds  turned  to  Wistar,  and  they  have 
brought  the  matter  to  its  present  position.  I  have  heard  of  no  dis- 
sent among  the  Directors. 

The  bell  is  ringing.     Love  to  all. 

Your  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

The  eyes  of  all  the  friends  of  Princeton  were  now  eagerly 
turned  to  Dr.  Robert  L.  Dabney,  of  Prince  Edward,  Vir- 
ginia, who  had  already  acquired  the  well-deserved  reputa- 


442  CHOICE  OF  PROFESSORS.  [1860. 

tion  of  being  one  of  the  very  ablest  teachers  of  theology 
which  the  American  church  had  ever  produced.  It  was 
the  earnest  desire  of  Dr.  Hodge  that  Princeton  should  be 
strengthened  by  so  powerful  a  reinforcement,  and  he  did  his 
best  to  present  the  claims  of  the  position  before  Dr.  Dab- 
ney  in  the  most  favorable  light.  The  latter,  however,  after 
giving  the  proposition  a  candid  and  prayerful  consideration, 
decided  in  the  negative. 

DR.    DABNEY   TO    DR.    HODGE. 

UNION  SEM.,  VA.,  April  loth,  1860. 

Rev.  and  Dear  Sir: — *  *  *  Let  me  say,  then,  that  I  am  led  to 
it  (his  negative  decision)  by  no  affectionate  clamor  against  my  re- 
moval on  the  part  of  good  brethren  here.  *  *  *  The  true  ques- 
tion you  have  correctly  stated.  It  is :  In  which  position  shall  I  be 
likely  to  effect  most  for  Christ  and  his  church  ?  And  I  cannot  avoid 
the  conviction,  that  so  far  as  my  fallible  judgment  can  decide,  the 
post  of  superior  usefulness  for  me  is  here.  My  reasons  for  this  con- 
clusion are  briefly  summed  up  in  this  statement,  that  by  going  away 
I  shall  inflict  an  almost  fatal  injury  upon  a  minor  interest  of  the 
church,  in  order  to  render  a  very  non-essential  assistance  to  a  major 
interest  of  the  same  church.  *  *  *. 

"  I  would  request  you  to  communicate  to  your  friends  so  much  of 
the  above  as  may  be  necessary  to  clear  me  from  the  appearance  of 
inattention  or  discourtesy  towards  their  request.  That  request  I  feel 
to  be  kind  and  flattering  to  me  far  above  my  deserts.  I,  therefore, 
beg  that  you  will  communicate  to  your  friends  and  accept  for  your- 
self my  gratitude  for  your  favorable  opinion,  and  for  the  generous 
manner  of  its  expression. 

I  remain,  with  affectionate  respect, 

Your  friend  and  brother, 

R.  L.  DABNEY. 

Dr.  Dabney,  therefore,  being  inaccessible,  the  Assembly 
of  that  year,  at  the  instance  of  the  Directors  of  Princeton 
Seminary,  assigned  Dr.  McGill  to  the  chair  of  Ecclesiasti- 
cal History,  and  elected  Rev.  Dr.  B.  M.  Palmer,  of  New 
Orleans,  to  the  chair  of  Practical  Theology,  and  Rev.  Cas- 
par Wistar  Hodge  to  the  chair  of  New  Testament  Literature 
and  Exegesis.  As  Dr.  Palmer  declined,  the  General  As- 


^T-  62-]  CHOICE  OF  PROFESSORS.  443 

sembly  of  the  next  year  assigned  Dr.  McGill  to  the  chair 
of  Church  Government  and  the  Composition  and  Delivery 
of  Sermons,  and  elected  Dr.  James  C.  Moffat  Professor  of 
Church  History. 

When  the  matter  of  granting  Princeton  a  fifth  professor 
was  before  the  Assembly,  Dr.  Hodge  spoke  as  follows: 

"  Mr.  Moderator,  there  is  no  indelicacy  in  my  addressing 
the  Assembly  on  this  subject.  We  are  seeking  no  personal 
object.  We  have  full  confidence  in  the  members  of  this 
house.  As  this  is  a  court  of  Jesus  Christ,  it  must  be  as- 
sumed to  be  governed  by  His  Spirit.  Its  members,  I  doubt 
not,  will  act  not  from  personal  or  sectional  motives,  but 
from  considerations  they  can  present  before  the  eyes  of  their 
Divine  Master. 

"  Princeton  claims  no  superiority.  We  cheerfully  admit 
that  all  our  Seminaries  stand  on  the  same  level,  and  should 
be  treated  on  precisely  the  same  principles.  And,  there- 
fore, whenever  any  Seminary  appears  here  by  its  authorized 
representatives,  and  says  that  it  cannot  discharge  its  duties 
to  the  church  without  additional  aid,  not  a  friend  of  Prince- 
ton will  hesitate  to  vote  that  it  should  be  granted. 

"There  are  two  things,  indeed,  which  give  Princeton  a 
special  hold  on  the  feelings  of  the  Church.  The  one  is 
that  she  is  Alma  Mater  of  some  two  thousand  five  hundred 
preachers  of  the  gospel.  That  is  her  crown.  As  it  is  im- 
possible that  a  son  should  fail  to  look  with  tenderness  and 
respect  on  the  face  of  his  mother,  so  it  is  impossible  that 
the  Alumni  of  Princeton  should  not  regard  that  institution 
with  peculiar  affection.  A  matron  surrounded  by  her  chil- 
dren grown  to  maturity,  and  filling  stations  of  usefulness, 
must  be  the  object  of  feelings  which  a  blooming  maiden 
cannot  excite.  The  maiden  may  be  more  attractive  and 
more  promising,  but  she  is  not  the  mother  of  children.  The 
other  thing  is  that  Princeton  is  on  the  frontier  of  our 
church.  Our  other  Seminaries  are  safe  in  the  interior.  We 
stand  on  the  borders  in  near  proximity  to  the  great  institu- 


444  CHOICE  OF  PROFESSORS.  [1860, 

tions,  Andover  and  Union  Seminary  in  New  York.  Unless 
Princeton  is  able  to  stand  erect  by  the  side  of  these  Semi- 
naries, and  present  equal  facilities  for  a  thorough  theological 
training,  we  shall  lose  our  young  men;  our  most  promising 
students  will  be  educated  outside  of  our  church.  This 
would  be  a  calamity  not  to  Princeton  only  but  to  the  church 
at  large. 

"  But,  Mr.  Moderator,  this  is  not  the  main  ground  on 
which  we  rest  her  application  for  a  fifth  professor.  We  are 
unable  without  additional  assistance  properly  to  cultivate 
the  field  assigned  to  us.  Princeton  has  been  prostrated  in 
the  dust.  We  come  to  you  to  beg  you  to  raise  us  up.  In 
the  death  of  Joseph  Addison  Alexander  we  have  lost  our 
great  glory  and  defense. 

"Permit  me,  Mr.  Moderator,  to  express  my  own  indi- 
vidual convictions.  I  regard  Dr.  Josepk  Addison  Alex- 
ander as  incomparably  the  greatest  man  I  ever  knew — as 
incomparably  the  greatest  man  our  church  has  ever  pro- 
duced. His  intellect  was  majestic  not  only  in  its  greatness 
but  in  its  harmonious  proportions.  No  faculty  was  in  ex- 
cess, and  none  was  in  defect.  His  understanding,  imagi- 
nation and  memory  were  alike  wonderful.  Everything  was 
equally  easy  to  him.  Nothing  he  ever  did  seemed  to  re- 
veal half  his  power.  His  attainments  in  classical,  oriental 
and  modern  languages  and  literature  were  almost  unexam- 
pled. His  stores  of  biblical,  historical  and  antiquarian 
knowledge  seemed  inexhaustible.  To  all  these  talents  and 
attainments  were  added  great  force  of  character,  power  over 
the  minds  of  men,  and  a  peculiar  facility  in  imparting  know- 
ledge. His  thorough  orthodoxy,  his  fervent  piety,  humility, 
faithfulness  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  and  reverence  for 
the  Word  of  God,  consecrated  all  his  other  gifts.  His  com- 
plete mastery  of  every  form  of  modern  infidelity  enabled 
him  to  vindicate  the  Scriptures  as  with  authority.  He 
glorified  the  Word  of  God  in  the  sight  of  his  pupils  beyond 
what  any  man  I  ever  saw  had  the  power  of  doing.  Prince- 


^T-  62.]  CHOICE  OF  PROFESSORS.  445 

ton  is  not  what  it  was,  and  can  never  expect  to  be  what  it 
has  been.  You  cannot  fill  his  place.  The  only  compensa- 
tion for  such  a  loss  is  the  presence  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

"  The  department  of  N.  T.  Literature  and  Biblical  Greek, 
to  which  this  extraordinary  man  consecrated  his  life,  and 
which  he  felt  called  for  all  his  time  and  efforts,  is  vacant. 
You  must  put  some  one  into  it,  to  do  what  he  can. 

"  But  when  you  have  done  that,  Dr.  McGill  remains  bur- 
dened with  the  duties  of  two  complete  departments,  the 
Pastoral  and  Historical.  This  is  more  than  the  most  robust 
man  can  bear.  Justice  to  him  and  to  the  Institution  there- 
fore requires  that  a  fifth  professor  should  be  appointed  to 
share  his  duties." 

DR.   HODGE   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

ROCHESTER,  May  30,  1860. 

My  Dear  Brother: — We  have  a  very  pleasant  meeting  of  the  As- 
sembly, and  if  we  may  believe  all  we  hear  the  meeting  has  made  a 
very  salutary  impression  on  this  community.  There  has  been  no 
agitation.  North  and  South  have  mingled  without  a  jar.  Southern 
men  here  say  that  they  could  not  believe  that  in  the  heart  of  fanati- 
cal Western  New  York  they  should  be  so  received  and  treated,  and 
that  the  doings  of  the  Assembly  will  do  more  to  harmonize  and  quiet 
the  country  than  anything  which  has  occurred  for  five  years.  They 
say  they  intend  to  publish  this  sentiment  in  the  papers  when  they  get 
home.  On  the  other  hand,  strong  anti-slavery  men  residing  here 
say  they  had  purposely  attended  the  preaching  of  the  Southern 
members,  and  that  they  all  preached  one  thing,  and  only  one,  Christ 
and  him  crucified.  They  say  these  Southern  preachers  are  the  best 
they  ever  heard. 

Mary  came  with  me.  We  have  had  a  very  pleasant  time  in  this 
hotel — the  Osburn  House — with  Dr.  Boardman  and  wife,  Dr.  Thorn- 
well,  Dr.  Adger  and  family,  Dr.  Spring,  and  several  other  members 
of  the  Assembly.  The  weather  has  been  delightful,  and  the  climate 
as  good  as  it  is  in  Princeton. 

The  election  for  Professors  in  Princeton  was  made  yesterday  after- 
noon. Dr.  Palmer  was  chosen  Professor  in  the  new  chair  (part  of 
Dr.  McGill's),  that  of  Pastoral  Theology  and  Rhetoric,  and  Wistar 
Professor  of  the  New  Testament  Literature  and  Biblical  Greek.  Each 
had  all  the  votes  cast.  The  most  gratifying  testimony  was  born  to 


446      DEBATE  ON  THE  BOARDS  OF  THE  CHURCH.     [1860. 

Wistar  by  his  old  classmates  and  co-presbyters  and  from  other  sources. 
The  number  of  votes  (244)  cast  show  that  the  election  was  cordial ; 
for  had  the  members  been  indifferent  or  opposed  they  would  not 
have  voted  as  they  did. 

We  are  of  course  very  thankful,  and  hope  God  means  it  all  for 
good.  Wistar  is  older  than  I  was,  and  than  Dr.  Addison  was  or 
than  Dr.  Green  was,  at  the  time  of  our  respective  elections. 

Love  to  Margaret  and  the  boys. 

Your  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 


HIS    GREAT   DEBATE    ON    THE    BOARDS    OF    THE    CHURCH. 

This  Debate  on  the  subject  of  the  Boards  of  the  Church, 
and  virtually  upon  the  fundamental  question  of  the  liberty 
of  the  Church  to  adjust  herself  to  providentially  determined 
conditions,  in  response  to  Dr.  Thornwell,  was  probably 
the  most  signal  forensic  effort  of  his  life.  Though  very 
prominent  as  a  writer  on  ecclesiastical  principles,  he  never 
could  be  regarded  as  a  practical  ecclesiastic.  His  powers 
were  those  of  the  thinker,  and  writer,  and  speaker,  not 
those  of  executive  tact  and  skill.  Clear  and  far-seeing,  as 
he  was  in  thought,  he  was  not  adroit  in  management,  nor 
subtile  in  his  combinations.  He  produced  whatever  effects 
he  did,  simply  by  the  clearness  of  his  views,  the  frankness 
of  his  statements,  the  earnestness  of  his  appeals,  and  the 
weight  of  his  character. 

A  writer  styling  himself  "  a  looker-on  in  Vienna,"  gives 
this  account  of  that  debate  in  the  Presbyterian  for  May  23d, 
1860.  "  Messrs.  Editors. — I  write  you  not  from  the  shadow 
of  the  Vatican,  but  from  the  bosom  of  the  great,  perhaps 
the  greatest  General  Assembly  ever  held  in  these  United 
States.*  *  Here  I  see  laymen  who  have  graced  the  Halls  of 
our  National  Legislature.*  *  *  Here  I  find  Dr.  Thornwell, 
a  representative  man  from  the  South,  a  person  of  small  sta- 
ture, eagle  eyed — a  John  Randolph  head  in  more  senses 
than  one.  He  has  a  well-earned  and  distinguished  reputa- 
tion as  a  writer,  debater  and  preacher.  He  laid  out  his 


*rr.  62.]  DEBATE  ON  THE  BOARDS  OF  THE  CHURCH.    447 

strength  this  morning  in  a  powerful  exhibition  of  his  theory 
for  a  change  in  the  organization  of  our  Boards.  He  is  clear, 
earnest,  impassioned.  He  held  his  audience  enchained.  His 
voice  is  deep  and  guttural,  mellow  and  impressive,  —  his 
gestures  natural  and  forcible.  The  spirit  he  evinced  was  so 
kind,  so  gentlemanly  and  Christian,  that  all  his  opponents 
praised  him. 

"  Dr.  Hodge  appeared  on  the  stage  immediately  after  the 
conclusion  of  Dr.  Thornwell's  speech.  As  he  looked  over 
the  Assembly,  he  saw  perhaps  more  than  half  of  the 
ministry  of  this  great  body  who  once  had  sat  at  his  feet  as 
learners.  Such  heard,  with  an  interest  and  emotion,  you 
may  readily  imagine,  this  one  remaining  representative  of 
that  cherished  and  honored  band  of  Professors  in  Princeton 
Seminary,  whose  names  and  praises  too,  are  so  widely 
known  in  all  our  churches.  If  any  man  is  posted  in  the 
history  of  our  church,  in  the  nature  of  its  polity,  and  in  the 
teachings  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  relation  to  its  duties  and 
prerogatives,  it  is  Dr.  Charles  Hodge.  His  speech  of  forty 
minutes  told  on  the  General  Assembly  with  tremendous 
power — so  much  so  that  after  Dr.  Krebs  had  gained  the 
floor,  Dr.  Spring  moved  that  the  question  should  then  be 
taken.  But  Dr.  Adger  and  others  protested." 

The  position  assumed  by  Dr.  Thornwell  is  stated  above, 
page  402.  The  argument  of  Dr.  Hodge,  as  stated  by  him- 
self Princeton  Review,  1860,  p.  566,  concludes  as  follows. 
"  The  grand  objection  urged  against  this  new  theory,  the 
one  which  showed  it  to  be  not  only  inconsistent  and  im- 
practicable but  intolerable,  was,  that  it  is,  in  plain  English, 
nothing  more  than  a  device  for  clothing  human  opinions 
with  divine  authority.  The  law  of  God  was  made  to  forbid 
not  only  what  it  says,  but  what  may  be  inferred  from.  it.  We 
grant  that  what  a  man  infers  from  the  words  of  God  binds 
his  own  conscience.  But  the  trouble  is  that  he  insists  that  it 
shall  bind  mine  also.  We  begged  to  be  excused.  One  man 
infers  one  thing,  another  a  different  thing  from  the  Bible. 


448       DEBATE  ON  THE  BOARDS  OF  THE  CHURCH.      [1860. 

The  same  man  infers  one  thing  to-day,  and  another  thing 
to-morrow.  Must  the  Church  bow  her  neck  to  all  these 
burdens  ?  She  would  soon  be  more  trammeled  than  the 
church  in  the  wilderness,  with  this  infinite  difference,  the 
church  of  old  was  measurably  restricted  by  fetters  which 
God  himself  imposed ;  the  plan  now  is  to  bind  with  fetters 
which  human  logic  forges.  This  she  will  never  submit  to. 

"Dr.  Thornwell  told  us  that  the  Puritans  rebelled  against 
the  doctrine  that  what  is  not  forbidden  in  Scripture  is  allow- 
able. It  was  against  the  theory  of  liberty  of  discretion,  he 
said,  our  fathers  raised  their  voices  and  their  arms.  We 
always  had  a  different  idea  of  the  matter.  We  supposed 
that  it  was  in  resistance  to  this  very  doctrine  of  inferences 
they  poured  out  their  blood  like  water.  In  their  time,  men 
inferred  from  Romans,  xiii.  I,  ('  Let  every  soul  be  subject 
unto  the  higher  powers.  Whosoever  resisteth  the  power 
resisteth  the  ordinance  of  God ;  and  they  that  resist  shall 
receive  to  themselves  damnation' ),  the  doctrine  of  passive 
submission.  From  the  declaration  and  command  of  Christ 
'  The  Pharisees  sit  in  Moses'  seat ;  all  therefore  whatsoever 
they  bid  you  observe,  that  observe  and  do,'  they  inferred  the 
right  of  the  Church  to  make  laws  to  bind  the  conscience- 
On  this  ground  tories  and  high-churchmen  sought  to  im- 
pose on  the  church  .their  trumpery  vestments  and  their 
equally  frivolous  logical  deductions.  It  was  fetters  forged 
from  inferences  our  fathers  broke,  and  we,  their  children,  will 
never  suffer  them  to  be  rewelded. 

"There  is  as  much  difference  between  the  extreme  doc- 
trine of  divine  right,  this  idea  that  every  thing  is  forbidden 
which  is  not  commanded,  and  the  doctrine  of  the  Puritans, 
as  there  is  between  this  free  exultant  Church  of  ours,  and 
the  mummied  mediaeval  forms  of  Christianity.  We  have 
no  fear  on  this  subject.  The  doctrine  need  only  be  clearly 
propounded  to  be  rejected." 


CHAPTER  XL 

FROM    1 86 1,    AND    THE    COMMENCEMENT   OF   THE  CIVIL   WAR, 

TO    IS/2,    AND    THE    CELEBRATION    OF    DR.    HODGE*S 

SEMI-CENTENNIAL. 


HIS  APPEARANCE  AND  HEALTH— HIS  OCCUPATIONS  AND  RECREATION— THE 
COMPOSITION  OF  HIS  "SYSTEMATIC  THEOLOGY  ' — THE  SABBATH  AFTER- 
NOON CONFERENCES — THE  CIVIL  WAR:  CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  HIS 
BROTHER — THE  ASSASSINATION  OF  LINCOLN  :  CORRESPONDENCE  WITH 
HIS  BROTHER — LETTER  TO  DR.  ROBERT  WATTS  ON  THE  "WITNESS  OF 
THE  SPIRIT.'' — THE  RELATION  OF  THE  CHURCH  TO  POLITICAL  QUES- 
TIONS, AND  THE  MERITS  OF  THE  ACTUAL  DECISIONS  BY  THE  GENERAL 
ASSEMBLY  (O.  S.)  OF  QUESTIONS  GROWING  OUT  OF  THE  WAR.— THE  CASE 
OF  THE  REV.  S.  B.  M'PHEETERS,  D.D.— THE  REUNION  OF  THE  OLD  AND 
NEW  SCHOOL  PRESBYTERIANS.— THE  NATIONAL  PRESBYTERIAN  CONVEN- 
TION, PHILADELPHIA,  NOV.  1867. 

HE  entered  upon  this  period  a  hale  and  vigorous  man,  in 
the  fulness  of  all  his  powers  intellectual  and  physical, 
elderly,  yet  in  perfect  preservation,  and  he  closed  it  an  old  man 
of  seventy-four  years,  already  showing  the  stealthy  progress  of 
decay.  The  light  color  of  his  hair  rendered  less  conspicuous 
the  first  sprinkling  of  frost,  and  his  vigorous  constitution 
and  regular  habits  rendered  his  carriage,  bearing  and  whole 
appearance  unusually  youthful.  The  peacefulness  and  sweet- 
ness of  his  disposition  contributed  to  the  same  appearance 
of  perpetual  youth.  His  countenance,  which  had  always 
been  handsome,  became  beautiful  as  he  grew  older,  radiant 
with  the  peace  and  love  and  hope  which  had  now  come  to 
be  the  perpetual  mood  of  his  spirit.  His  health  for  the 
most  part  was  excellent  and  uniform.  He  suffered  from  a 
29  449 


450  HEALTH  AND  HABITS.  [1861-72. 

decided  though  not  dangerous  attack  of  typhoid  fever  from 
February  26,  to  March  13,  1859;  from  inflammation  of  the 
bowels  January  and  February,  1865,  and  from  a  very  alarm- 
ing attack  of  fever  from  January  28,  to  March  2,  1871.    As 
he  grew  older  his  general  nerve  force  grew  less  and  less 
capable  of  resisting  depressing  influences.     He  wept  easily, 
and  often  much  against  his  will.    He  was  easily  exhausted 
by   the   effort    involved   in   public  speaking,    and   by   all 
draughts   upon  his   emotions?]  Although   under  ordinary 
conditions  his  health  was  apparently  perfect,  as  a  sound  yet 
heavily  laden  boat  floats  well  in  smooth  water,  yet  he  sank 
easily  and  rapidly  upon  slight  occasions  of  nervous  shock 
or  physical  derangement,  as  the  same  boat  fills  and  sinks 
when  the  water  is  agitated.     Especially  was  he  readily  and 
often  alarmingly  exhausted  by  severe  heat.    Hence  it  came 
to  pass  that  while  he  spent  the  month  of  May  of  each  year 
(from  1866  to  1878)  or  a  good  part  of  it  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  General  David  Hunter,  in  the  city  of  Washington,  he 
spent  the  months  of  July  and  August  always  at  some  cool 
watering  place.     His  journal  shows  that  in  the  later  sum- 
mer of  1862  he  was  at:  Rhineland,  on  the  upper  coast  of 
Long  Island,  and  at  Altoona,  Pittsburg,  Cresson,  Lancaster 
and  Saratoga.     In  1863  he  went  to  Rhineland  in  July  and 
to  Saratoga  in  August.    In  1864  he  spent  August  at  Hunt- 
ingdon, Long  Island.     In  1865  he  spent  July  and  the  first 
of  August  at  Saybrookpoint,  Connecticut.  LFrom  the  sum- 
mer of  1 867  to  the  end  of  his  life  he  spent  with  his  wife,  and 
often  others  of  his  family,  the  midsummer,  generally  all  of 
July  and  August,  at  Narragansett  Pier,  Rhode  Islano!^    In 
all  these   places   he  carried  with  him  the  atmosphere  of 
Christian   love  and  devotion.      He  formed  delightful  ac- 
quaintanceships and  some  permanent  friendships.     He  con- 
ducted religious  services,  and  assisted  in  forming  permanent 
religious    institutions.     And   by  these  systematic  refresh- 
ments he  so  preserved   the  tone  of  his  physical  system 
that  he  was  enabled  to  bear  his  best  fruit  in  old  age. 


.  69-75.]  HIS  S  YS TEMA  TIC  THE OLOGY.  451 


.       HIS    SYSTEMATIC    THEOLOGY. 

During  all  these  years  he  was  working  continuously  and 
at  least  as  hard  as  his  health  justified,  for  besides  twenty-six 
of  his  most  influential  articles  in  the  Princeton  Review  he 
wrote  during  this  period  his  great  work  on  "Systematic 
Theology,"  of  two  thousand  two  hundred  large  octavo 
pages.?  The  preparation  of  the  first  part  of  this  vast 
work,  treating  on  the  foundations  of  Natural  Theology, 
and  its  relation  to  materialism  and  other  antitheistic  theories, 
scientific  and  philosophical  and  traditional,  exacted  of  him 
a  great  amount  of  special  reading  and  reflection.  And  the 
body  of  the  work  on  the  great  common-places  of  Christian 
Theology  are  not  copies  of  his  past  lectures,  but  are  fresh 
compositions  in  which  his  views  are  recast  and  all  the 
harvest  of  his  past  studies  are  gathered.  The  original 
manuscript,  just  as  it  passed  from  his  hand,  has  been  re- 
covered from  the  printers,  and  bound  in  several  volumes  is 
preserved  in  the  Seminary  Library.  It  discovers  for  the 
most  part  that  the  composition  was  as  free  and  easy  as  the 
style  is  clear,  as  it  is  remarkably  free  from  all  evidences  of 
arrested  or  embarrassed  thought  in  erasures  and  interline- 
ations. It  was  written  entirely  with  one  dilapidated  gold 
pen,  whose  flexible  side  and  divergent  nibs  long  ago 
rendered  it  incapable  of  use  in  any  other  hand  than  his 
own.  No  one  now  knows  certainly  when  the  rewriting  of 
this  work  commenced.  It  was  probably  projected  and  in 
some  way  commenced  as  early  as  1864.  But  it  was  pro- 
bably not  grappled  with  very  earnestly  before  1867.  The 
manuscript  of  the  first  volume  was  sent  to  Houghton  &  Co., 
the  printers,  December  2/th,  1870,  and  the  manuscript  of 
the  last  volume  was  completed  October  8th,  1872.  \Hence 
it  was,  with  exceptions  too  small  to  be  worthy  of  mention, 
all  written  since  he  past  the  end  of  his  sixty-ninth  yean) 

His  correspondence  continued,  as   it  had  been  for  many 
years,  immense  in  volume  and  very  burdensome.   From  his 


452  CORRESPONDENCE  AND  RELAXATION.     [1861-72. 

former  pupils  and  others,  ministers  and  laymen,  in  all  parts 
of  the  country,  questions  were  submitted  to  him  and  long 
and  laborious  answers  were  expected.  Some  of  these  required 
and  frankly  suggested  wide  special  research,  as  he  had  the 
advantage,  denied  to  the  questioners,  of  access  to  large 
public  libraries.  The  questions  submitted  covered  the  whole 
ground  of  doctrine,  exegesis,  experience,  and  ecclesiastical 
law.  He  conscientiously  and  laboriously  responded  to  these 
appeals  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  writing  often  answers 
covering  several  sheets.  If  these  could  now  all  be  collected 
and  classified,  they  would  probably  constitute  a  treasury  of 
wisdom,  equal  both  in  value  and  in  volume  to  all  his  other 
writings  together.  His  letters  to  his  brother,  at  this  period, 
contain  many  such  passages  as  the  following,  constantly 
recurring.  "  I  am  driven  almost  to  death  by  demands  on  my 
pen ;  letters  remain  unanswered  and  correspondents  ne- 
glected, &c." 

At  the  same  time  the  requirements  of  advancing  life  led 
him  more  and  more  to  seek  refreshment  of  strength  in 
relaxation.  In  December,  1856,  he  bought  a  beautifully 
situated  farm  on  the  Millstone  river,  three  miles  from  his 
residence,  and  placed  it  for  some  years  in  the  charge  of  one 
of  his  sons.  He  visited  it  in  all  possible  weather  during 
that  son's  occupancy,  once  a  day,  planning  and  superintend- 
ing its  draining  and  cultivation  with  the  most  unflagging  in- 
terest. In  summer  weather  during  these  years  also  he  played 
croquet  in  the  lawn  before  his  front  door ;  in  the  evenings  of 
both  summer  and  winter  he  played  back-gammon.  He  en- 
tered into  both  these  games  with  the  most  profound  interest, 
contesting  every  inch,  and  debating  every  mooted  point, 
with  all  the  seriousness  belonging  of  right  to  the  most  im- 
portant matters,  delighting  to  win,  yet  always  submitting  to 
the  fates  of  war  with  the  utmost  sweetness  of  temper.  From 
this  time  also  we  begin  to  have  noticed  that  he  was  willing 
to  rest  his  mind  as  well  as  his  body  by  reading  on  due  occa- 
sions the  novels  which  the  younger  members  of  his  family 


.  64-75.]  THE  SABBATH  AFTERNOON  CONFERENCE. 


453 


placed  within  his  reach.  He  had  always  been  an  intensely 
interested  observer  of  public  events,  and  had  entertained 
very  positive  opinions  upon  political  questions.  He  was 
fundamentally  an  old  Federalist,  then  a  Whig,  then  a  Re- 
publican of  the  Conservative  wing.  From  the  beginning  of 
the  war,  this  interest  in  public  affairs  was  naturally  very 
much  intensified,  and  for  many  years  he  eagerly  read  every 
day  all  the  newspapers  he  could  conveniently  reach. 

THE  SABBATH  AFTERNOON  CONFERENCE. 
After  the  death  of  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  Dr.  Hodge 
became  and  continued  to  the  end  of  his  life  the  great  attrac- 
tion and  power  in  the  Sunday  afternoon  religious  con- 
ferences of  the  professors  and  students.  The  prominence 
and  effectiveness  of  this  weekly  exercise  was  unquestionably 
for  the  last  half  century  a  grand  special  characteristic  of 
Princeton  Seminary.  During  these  past  years  it  was  in 
many  respects  the  most  remarkable  and  memorable  exercise 
in  the  entire  Seminary  course.  They  were  held  every  Sab- 
bath afternoon  by  the  professors  and  students  for  the  dis- 
cussion and  practical  enforcement  of  questions  relating  to 
experimental  religion  and  the  duties  of  the  Christian  life. 
The  members  of  all  the  successive  classes  will  bear  testi- 
mony to  the  unique  character  and  singular  preciousness  of 
those  Sabbath  afternoon  Conferences  in  that  sacred  old 
Oratory,  whose  walls  are  still  eloquent  to  them  with  imper- 
ishable associations.  Here  the  venerable  professors  appeared 
rather  as  friends  and  pastors  than  as  instructors.  The  dry 
and  cold  attributes  of  scientific  theology  moving  in  the 
sphere  of  the  intellect,  gave  place  to  the  warmth  of  personal 
religious  experience,  and  to  the  spiritual  light  of  divinely 
illuminated  intuition.  Here  in  the  most  effective  manner 
they  sought  to  build  up  Christian  men  rather  than  form  ac- 
complished scholars  and  to  instruct  them  in  the  wisest 
methods  of  conducting  their  future  work  of  saving  souls  and 
edifying  the  Church  of  Christ. 


454     THE  SABBATH  AFTERNOON  CONFERENCE.     [1861-72. 

The  text  or  topic  for  consideration  was  announced  at  the 
preceding  meeting.  The  professors  presided  in  turn,  and 
were  called  upon  to  speak  in  the  inverse  order  of  seniority, 
the  professor  presiding  for  the  day  coming  last.  For  many 
years  the  discussion  was  opened  by  remarks  volunteered  by 
the  students,  but  in  later  times,  the  entire  hour  has  been 
occupied  by  the  professors. 

The  historical  character  of  this  remarkable  service  is  of 
course  derived  from  the  peerless  endowments,  intellectual 
and  spiritual,  of  the  first  three  professors  in  the  institution. 
Men  so  different,  yet  together  constituting  such  a  singular 
completeness  of  excellence  by  the  combination  of  their 
complementary  graces. 

Dr.  Miller,  the  model  Christian  gentleman,  and  typical 
divine,  whose  original,  generous  and  genial  nature  had  been 
transfigured  by  the  long  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
whose  outward  manner  had  evidently  been  conformed  by 
long  self-training  to  the  highest  models,  would  have  been 
the  first  to  attract  the  eye  and  to  impress  the  ear  of  the 
stranger.  His  long  and  active  life  had  furnished  him  with 
rich  stores  of  experience  of  men  as  well  as  a  vast  volume 
of  learning  derived  from  books.  All  this  he  poured  forth 
with  a  deliberate  and  stately  copiousness,  in  a  manner  serene 
and  dignified,  yet  full  of  impressive  force  and  tender  unction. 
His  adoring  sense  of  the  majesty  of  God,  and  of  the  serious- 
ness of  human  life,  of  the  reality  and  solemnity  of  divine 
things,  and  of  the  obligations  attending  the  Christian  pro- 
fession, and  above  all  attending  the  office  of  the  Christian 
ministry,  gave  form  and  color  to  all  he  said.  His  instruc- 
tions were  always  wise  and  practical,  and  were  characteristi- 
cally illustrated  from  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  apt  and  often 
witty,  but  always  dignified  anecdote,  drawn  from  all  litera- 
ture, sacred  and  profane,  and  from  his  own  extensive  inter- 
course with  men  as  a  pastor  and  as  a  citizen. 

Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  incomparably  the  greatest,  as 
he  was  the  first  of  that  illustrious  family,  though  neither 


yET.  64-75.]    THE  SABBATH  AFTERNOON  CONFERENCE.  455 

more  learned,  nor  more  holy  than  his  older  colleague,  was 
far  more  original.     He  was  modelled  upon  nothing,  but 
every  thing  in  him  and  about  him  to  the  last  detail  of 
thought,  or  glance,  or  inflexion,  or  gesture  was  immediately 
determined  by  spontaneous  forces  working  straight  outward 
from  within.    It  was  this  entire  absence  of  self-consciousness, 
this  absolute  simplicity  of  thought,  emotion  and  expres- 
sion, and  its  spontaneous  directness  to  its  point,  added  to 
his  other  natural  and  gracious  endowments,  which  gave  this  . 
great  teacher  his  singular  pre-eminence.     His  intellect  was 
intuitive  rather  than  logical.    Although  he  exhibited  flashes 
of  acute  analysis,  as  sharp  and  rapid  as  a  Damascus  blade, 
yet  he  did  not  characteristically  excel  in  broad  views  of 
truth  in  their  relations,  nor  in  lengthened  processes  of  con- 
secutive thought.     He  was  eminently  quick  in  his  observa- 
tion, and  penetrating  in  his  insight,  accurately  noting  facts 
and  reading  characters  in  rapid  glances.     He  held  in  his 
retentive  memory  the  spoils  of  a  vast  and  widely  selected 
reading.  All  the  treasures  of  divine  wisdom  and  grace,  which 
the  Holy  Ghost  communicates  to  life-long  students  of  the 
Word,  when  to  high  intellect  is  added  all  the  simplicity  and 
docility  of  a  little  child  irradiated  his  soul  and  made  it 
luminous  to  others.     All  the  secrets  of  the  human  heart 
and  its  various  experiences  under  the  discipline  of  the  natural 
conscience  and  of  the  word  and  Spirit  of  God  were  known 
to  him,  and  he  possessed  the  finest  skill  in  interpreting 
and  in  treating,  with  acute  precision,  the  states  and  frames 
of  all  who  sought  his  counsel  or  listened  to  his  instructions. 
Dr.  Theodore  D.  Woolsey,  ex-president  of  Yale  College,  at 
Dr.   Hodge's   semi-centennial,   said    that  "Dr.  Alexander 
should  be  called  the  Shakespeare  of  the  Christian  heart,  be- 
cause of  his  wonderful  knowledge  of  it  in  all  its  morbid 
and  healthful  exercises." 

This  utter  simplicity,  this  all-penetrating  insight,  accom- 
panied with  a  wonderful  spontaneousness  of  thought,  ima- 
gination and  speech  were  personal  attributes,  inseparable 


456      THE  SABBA  TH  AFTER  NO  ON  CONFERENCE.     [1861-72. 

from  his  presence  and  manner,  and  incapable  of  being 
transmitted  to  the  printed  page.  During  his  later  years, 
when  urged  to  put  the  results  of  his  studies  and  reflec- 
tions in  the  permanent  form  of  writing,  he  often  said, 
"No, if  I  have  any  talent,  it  is  to  talk  sitting  in  my  chair." 
And  however  much  he  may  have  been  mistaken  in  failing 
to  recognise  the  value  of  his  writings  to  the  Church,  there 
is  no  doubt  that  his  gifts  as  a  talker  on  the  themes  of  Chris- 
tian experience  were  without  parallel  among  his  contempo- 
raries. He,  more  than  any  man  of  his  generation,  appeared 
to  those  who  heard  him  to  be  endued  with  the  knowledge, 
and  clothed  with  the  authority  of  a  prophet  sent  immedi- 
ately from  God.  He  was  to  us  the  highest  peak  of  the 
mountains,  on  whose  pure  head  the  heavens,  beyond  the 
common  horizon,  pour  the  wealth  of  their  iridescent  ra- 
diance. 

In  his  early  and  middle  life  he  had  been  an  orator  en- 
dowed with  singular  powers  of  dramatic  representation.  In 
his  old  age  he  was  always  calm  and  quiet,  but  such  was  his 
intense  sense  of  the  reality  of  the  subjects  on  which  he  dis- 
coursed, that  often,  as  he  spoke  of  angels,  of  heaven,  of  the 
beatific  vision  of  saints,  of  Christ  and  of  his  second  coming 
and  judgment,  his  hearers  felt  that  their  eyes  also  were 
opened  to  discern  the  presence  of  things  unseen  and  eter- 
nal. Every  Wednesday  evening  Dr.  Alexander  presided  at 
the  public  prayers  in  the  Oratory.  The  instant  the  students 
were  in  their  seats  he  came  in  rapidly,  his  cloak  hanging 
often  diagonally  from  his  bent  shoulders,  his  head  inclined 
as  in  revery,  yet  flashing  sudden  glances  on  either  side 
with  piercing  eyes,  which  seemed  to  penetrate  all  the  se- 
crets of  those  upon  whom  they  fell.  He  sat  down  with  his 
back  to  the  windows,  and  his  right  side  to  the  students,  sit- 
ting low — almost  hidden  by  the  desk.  Drawing  the  large 
Bible  down  before  him,  he  seemed  to  lose  at  once  all  sense 
of  human  audience,  and  to  pass  alone  into  the  presence  of 
God.  As  he  read,  and  mused  and  ejaculated  the  utterances 


MT.  64-75.]    THE  SABBATH  AFTERNOON  CONFERENCE.  457 

of  all  the  holy  exercises  of  his  soul  upon  the  Divine  Word, 
a  solemn  hush  fell  upon  us,  and  we  felt  not  as  those  who 
listen  to  a  teacher,  but  as  those  who  are  admitted  to  ap- 
proach, with  the  shoes  from  off  their  feet,  to  gaze  in  and 
listen  through  an  opened  window  to  the  mysterious  work- 
ings of  a  sanctified  soul  under  the  immediate  revelations  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

Dr.  Hodge  was  by  a  whole  generation  younger  than 
these  venerable  fathers.  Hence  during  the  first  years  of 
his  professorship  his  part  in  these  Sabbath  afternoon  con- 
ferences, although  regularly  discharged,  was  less  prominent 
than  theirs.  During  the  long  period,  however,  from  about 
1848  to  his  death  in  1878,  he  was  recognized  by  all  as  the 
central  sun  which  gave  light  and  heat  to  the  entire  service. 

(As  all  acquainted  with  his  life-work  know,  Dr.  Hodge's 
distinguishing  attributes  were  great  tenderness  and  strength 
of  emotion,  and  the  power  of  exciting  it  in  others;  an 
habitual  adoring  love  for  Christ,  and  absolute  submission 
of  mind  and  will  to  his  word; \  a  chivalrous  disposition  to 
maintain  against  all  odds,  and  with  unvarying  self-consist- 
ency through  all  the  years  of  a  long  life,  the  truth  as  he 
saw  it — crystalline  clearness  of  thought  and  expression,  and 
an  unsurpassed  logical  power  of  analysis  and  of  grasping 
and  exhibiting  all  truths  in  their  relations.  Dr.  Alexander 
once  said  to  a  friend  that  the  mental  constitution  of  Dr. 
Hodge  was  more  than  that  of  any  man  he  knew — like  that 
of  John  Calvin,  without  his  severity.  As  he  sat  in  the 
Conference  he  spoke  freely,  without  paper,  in  language  and 
with  illustration  spontaneously  suggested  at  the  moment. 
To  the  hearer  the  entire  exercises  appeared  extempo- 
raneous. The  matter  presented  was  a  clear  analysis  of  the 
scriptural  passage,  or  theme,  doctrinal  or  practical,  chosen 
for  the  occasion.  An  exhaustive  statement  and  clear  illus- 
tration of  the  question.  An  exhibition  of  the  evidence  of 
the  doctrine  and  of  the  grounds  and  reasons,  methods,  con- 
ditions and  limits  of  the  experience  or  duty.  A  develop- 


458      THE  SABBATH  AFTERNOON  CONFERENCE.  [1861-75. 

ment  of  each  doctrine  on  the  side  of  experience  and  prac- 
tice; a  demonstration  of  the  practical  character  of  all  doc- 
trine and  of  the  doctrinal  basis  of  all  genuine  religious  ex- 
perience and  practice. 

As  to  its  manner,  the  entire  discourse  was  in  the  highest 
degree  earnest,  fervent  and  tender  to  tears;  full  of  convic- 
tion and  full  of  love.  While  the  temporary  impression 
made  upon  most  hearers  was  less  remarkable  than  that  pro- 
duced by  Dr.  Alexander  in  his  happiest  moods,  all  the  stu- 
dents, and  especially  those  who  were  diligent  in  taking 
notes,  felt  that  they  took  away  with  them  from  Dr.  Hodge 
a  far  larger  mass  of  coherent  thought  for  permanent  use 
than  from  any  of  the  rest.  The  reason  for  this  is  abund- 
antly evident  when  the  drawers  of  his  study  are  opened,  and 
the  large  accumulation  of  careful  preparations  for  this  ex- 
ercise are  examined.  He  prepared  and  wrote  out  a  careful 
analysis  or  skeleton  of  every  Conference  discourse.  Al- 
though designed  to  meet  no  eye  but  his  own,  these  analyses 
are  fully  written  out,  and  are  verbally  complete  in  all  their 
articulations.  They  cover  every  variety  of  subject  relating 
to  Christian  doctrine  and  personal  experience,  and  church 
life  and  work.  And  although  his  audience  was  completely 
changed  every  three  years,  it  appears  that  he  seldom  used 
the  same  preparations  twice,  but  prepared,  even  after  he  had 
passed  his  8oth  year,  a  new  paper  for  each  Conference,  often 
Constructing  analyses  of  the  same  theme  several  times.  This 
was  his  method  of  mental  preparation.  He  habitually 
thought  with  his  pen  in  his  hand.  He  prepared  his  analysis 
of  his  subject  before  he  wrote  his  sermon,  or  lecture,  or 
article,  or  chapter  of  his  books.  He  also  made  written 
analyses  of  the  important  books  he  read. 

Dr.  Prime  wrote  in  the  Observer,  June  27,  1878:  "Far 
above  his  fame  as  a  champion  of  the  truth,  was  and  is  his 
glory  that  he  gloried  in  the  Cross  of  Christ.  He  was  a 
child-like,  humble,  praying,  believing,  hoping  Christian.  In 
the  Oratory  on  Sunday  afternoons  his  spiritual  '  talks '  to 


.ET.  64-75.]   THE  SABBATH  AFTERNOON  CONFERENCE.   459 

the  students  were  like  streams  of  the  water  of  life  flowing 
by  the  throne !  The  pathos  of  his  voice,  his  words,  his 
tears,  his  prayers  were  irresistibly  affecting.  Then  he  com- 
muned with  God  and  his  children.  How  the  hearts  of  his 
disciples  burned  within  them  as  he  opened  unto  them  the 
Scriptures!  Beyond  the  lecture-room  and  the  pulpit,  the 
memory  of  those  holy  hours  will  remain  with  them  who 
sat  with  him  in  heavenly  places." 

One  of  his  favorite  pupils*  has  brought  him  before  us  at 
this  service,  in  a  sketch  as  beautiful  as  it  is  life-like : 

"  No  triumph  of  his  with  tongue  or  pen  ever  so  thrilled 
and  moved  human  hearts  as  did  his  utterances  at  the  Sab- 
bath afternoon  conferences  in  the  Seminary  Oratory,  which 
will  live  in  the  immortal  memory  of  every  Princeton  stu- 
dent. A  subject  would  be  given  out  on  the  Sunday  before, 
generally  some  one  which  involved  practical,  experimental, 
spiritual  religion — such  as  Christian  fidelity,  love  of  God's 
word,  prayer,  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  great  commission. 
After  brief  opening  services  by  the  students,  the  Professors 
spoke  in  turn;  but  Dr.  Hodge's  was  the  voice  which  all 
waited  to  hear.  Sitting  quietly  in  his  chair,  with  a  simple 
ease  which  seemed  born  of  the  moment,  but  was  really  the 
fruit  of  careful  preparation,  even  with  the  pen,  he  would 
pour  out  a  tide  of  thought  and  feeling  which  moved  and 
melted  all — solemn,  searching,  touching,  tender — his  eye 
sometimes  kindling  and  his  voice  swelling  or  trembling 
with  the  force  of  sacred  emotion,  while  thought  and  lan- 
guage at  times  rose  to  a  grandeur  which  held  us  spell- 
bound. Few  went  away  from  those  consecrated  meetings 
without  feeling  in  their  hearts  that  there  was  nothing  good 
and  pure  and  noble  in  Christian  character  which  he  who 
would  be  a  worthy  minister  of  Christ  ought  not  to  covet 
for  his  own." 

|His  public  work,  during  this  most  prominent  and  influen- 
tial period  of  his  life,  related  to  three  great  questions :  The 

*  William  Irvin,  D.  D.,  of  Troy,  N.  Y. 


460  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  [1861-65. 

civil  war,  and  the  duty  of  Christian  citizens  in  relation  to  it. 
The  relation  of  the  Church  to  political  questions,  and  the 
merits  of  the  actual  decisions  of  the  General  Assembly  (O. 
S.)  upon  questions  growing  out  of  the  war.  And  third, 
the  proposed  reunion  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Presby- 
terian ChurchT] 

THE    CIVIL   WAR. 

On  this  all-absorbing  subject  he  wrote  the  following 
articles:  "The  State  of  the  Country,"  January,  1861.  "The 
Church  and  the  Country," April,  1861.  "England and  Ame- 
rica," January,  1862.  "The  War,"  January,  1862.  "President 
Lincoln,"  July,  1865.  Several  of  these  were  reprinted  and 
widely  circulated  in  pamphlet  form,  and  were  regarded  as  of 
great  merit  and  practical  value  by  prominent  statesmen. 

He  has  given  his  own  account  of  these  publications  in  a 
subsequent  article  reviewing  the  course  of  the  Princeton 
Review  in  relation  to  "The  State  of  the  Country,"  October, 
1865,  and  in  his  ^Retrospect  of  the  History  of  the  Prince- 
ton Review"  in  the  Index  Volume,  1871.1  In  the  latter  he 
says :  "  The  Princeton  Review  has  as  freely  as  any  other 
journal,  and  with  the  same  right,  neither  more  nor  less,  said 
what  it  felt  bound  to  say  on  Secession,  on  the  Rebellion,  on 
the  duty  of  loyalty  and  the  support  of  the  Government;  on 
Slavery  and  Emancipation;  on  the  power  and  authority  of 
Church  courts  within  the  limits  of  the  constitution,  and  on 
the  principles  which  should  govern  our  action  in  the  great 
work  of  reconstruction,  both  in  the  Church  and  State. 

"We  have  looked  over  the  several  articles  in  this  journal 
published  during  the  war,  and  we  find  in  them  nothing 
which  we  wish  to  retract.  We  are  humbly  thankful  that 
our  voice,  however  feeble,  has  throughout  been  on  the  side 
of  the  Union  and  the  Government,  and  against  the  whole 
course  of  those  who  endeavored  to  dissever  the  one  and 
overthrow  the  other.  There  is  no  journal  in  the  land  can 
present  a  fairer  record  of  patriotism  and  loyalty.  It  is  true, 
as  the  Presbyterian  Banner,  of  Pittsburgh,  in  an  excellent 


^T.63-6;.]  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  461 

editorial  printed  in  December,  1862,  states  (at  least  by  im- 
plication) that  among  the  supporters  of  the  Union  and  the 
Government  there  are  two  parties,  a  radical  and  a  national 
party.  On  this  subject  it  wisely  taught  'that  the  people 
must  be  united.  A  platform  broad  enough  for  all  loyal 
people  to  stand  upon,  must  be  adopted.  The  Radicals  can- 
not carry  their  principles  through.  It  is  utter  folly  in  them 
to  think  so.  They  have  not  the  numbers.  The  people  will 
not  go  with  them.  And  the  Republicans  cannot,  as  a  party, 
so  wage  the  battle  as  to  triumph.  They  have  the  reins  of 
government,  but  only  half  the  people,  a  power  far  too  weak. 
Neither  could  the  Democrats  on  party  principles  succeed. 
There  must  be  union;  and  to  have  union  we  must  adopt 
broad,  noble,  national  principles.'  This  is  the  ground  on 
which  we  have  always  stood.  Party  politics,  as  such,  have 
had  no  place  in  this  Review.  Radical  principles  and  mea-" 
sures  are  alien  to  its  character  and  spirit.  It  has  advocated 
the  national  cause  on  national  principles,  as  a  great  moral 
and  religious  duty." 

In  his  ''Retrospect/'  1871,  he  says:  " The  first  article 
having  reference  to  our  national  difficulties  was  written  be- 
fore the  secession  of  South  Carolina,  but  did  not  appear  in 
print  until  after  that  event,  viz:  January,  1861.  The  article 
is  entitled  '  The  State  of  the  Country.'  It  began  by  saying 
\There  are  periods  in  the  history  of  every  nation  when  its 
destiny  for  ages  may  be  determined  by  the  events  of  an 
hour.  There  are  occasions  when  political  questions  rise 
into  the  sphere  of  morals  and  religion;  when  the  rule  for 
political  action  is  to  be  sought,  not  in  considerations  of  state 
policy,  but  in  the  Word  of  God.  On  such  occasions  the 
distinction  between  secular  and  religious  journals  are  oblit- 
erated.'.^ It  is  on  this  ground  that  we,  as  conductors  of  a 
Theological  Review,  felt  justified  on  entering  upon  the  dis- 
cussion of  questions  involving  our  national  life.  In  taking 
this  course  we  were  sustained  by  the  example  of  the  whole 
religious  press  of  the  country,  South  as  well  as  North. 


462  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  [1861-65. 

"  The  design  of  the  article  in  question  was,  in  the  first 
place,  to  consider  the  complaints  of  the  South  against  the 
North,  which  we  endeavored  to  show  were  either  altogether 
unfounded,  or  did  not  furnish  any  justification  for  the  disso- 
lution of  the  national  union;  and,  in  the  second  place,  to 
prove  that  secession  was  not  a  constitutional  mode  of  re- 
dressing evils,  whether  real  or  imaginary.  That  article  was 
received  at  the  South,  to  our  surprise,  with  universal  con- 
demnation, expressed  in  terms  of  unmeasured  severity.  At 
the  North  it  was  pronounced  '  moderate,  fair  and  reason- 
able/ except  by  the  Abolitionists,  who  rivalled  their  South- 
ern brethren  in  their  denunciations." 

DR,  HODGE  TO  THE   EDITOR  OF  THE  "  SOUTHERN  PRESBY- 
TERIAN." 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  3d,  1861. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  received  last  evening  a  copy  of  the  Southern 
Presbyterian,  tor  Dec.  29th,  1860,  containing  a  notice  headed  "  The 
Princeton  Review  on  the  State  of  the  Country."  The  article  in  the 
Review  thus  denominated,  you  characterize  as  "  an  unfortunate,  one- 
sided and  lamentable  attack  upon  the  South."  I  think,  my  dear 
sir,  that  it  will  promote  the  cause  of  truth  and  brotherly  love  which 
we  both  have  at  heart,  if  you  will  permit  the  Editor  of  the  Review  to 
state  to  your  readers  in  few  words  the  design  of  the  article  on  which 
you  pronounce  so  unfavorable  a  judgment. 

It  was  intended  to  produce  two  effects  within  the  limited  range  of 
its  influence ;  first,  to  convince  the  South  that  the  mass  of  Northern 
people  are  not  abolitionists  or  hostile  to  the  rights  and  interests  of 
the  South ;  and  second,  to  convince  the  North  that  the  course  adopt- 
ed by  the  abolitionists  is  unjust  and  unscriptural.  You  say  that  the 
writer  of  the  article  in  question  "affirms  that  the  aggressions  or 
grievances  of  "which  the  South  complains  have  no  real  existence." 
The  article,  however,  says  that  the  South  has  "just  grounds  of  com- 
plaint, and  that  the  existing  exasperation  towards  the  North  is 
neither  unnatural  nor  unaccountable."  It  says  that  "the  spirit,  lan- 
guage and  conduct  of  the  abolitionists  is  an  intolerable  grievance." 
It  says  that  "  tampering  with  slaves  is  a  great  crime.  That  it  is  a 
grievance  that  would  justify  almost  any  available  means  of  redress." 
It  admits  that  all  opposition  to  the  restoration  of  fugitive  slaves, 
whether  by  individuals,  by  mobs  or  legislative  enactments,  is  im- 


JET.  63-67.]  THE  CIVIL  WAR.  463 

moral,  and  that  the  South  has  a  right  to  complain  of  all  such  oppo- 
sition. It  admits  that  the  territories  are  the  common  property  of  the 
country,  and  that  the  South  has  the  same  rights  to  them  that  the 
North  has,  and  it  calls  for  an  equal  division  of  these  territories  on 
the  plan  of  the  Missouri  compromise.  The  article  does  not  deny  the 
reality  of  the  grievances  complained  of,  but  it  denies  that  those  griev- 
ances are  justly  chargeable  on  the  people  of  the  North.  It  endeav- 
ors to  prove,  by  a  simple  process  of  arithmetic,  that  the  abolitionists 
against  whom  these  charges  justly  lie,  are  comparatively  a  mere 
handful  of  the  people  of  the  North.  Southern  men  and  ministers  of 
the  highest  eminence  pronounce  the  abolition  party  to  be  not  only 
Antichristian  but  atheistic,  to  be  perjured  and  instinct  with  the  spirit 
of  the  French  revolutionists,  and  then  the  North  is  pronounced  to  be 
thoroughly  abolitionized.  We  know  this  to  be  untrue.  We  know 
this  to  be  a  false  judgment  pronounced  upon  thousands  and  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  pious,  God-fearing  people.  We  hold  it,  there- 
fore, to  be  a  solemn  duty  to  all  concerned  to  show  that  such  judg- 
ment is  altogether  unfounded,  in  fact.  Such  is  the  main  design  of 
the  article  in  question.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  its  execution, 
the  design  must  of  necessity  commend  itself  to  every  good  man.  If 
Southern  men  knew  the  North  as  we  know  it,  they  would  no  more 
think  of  secession  than  they  would  of  suicide.  We  have  done  what 
we  could  out  of  a  pure  conscience  to  convince  the  South  that  we  are 
not  hostile  to  its  rights  and  interests.  If  our  Southern  brethren  take 
this  in  evil  part  we  shall  deeply  regret  it,  but  cannot  repent  of  what 
has  the  full  assent  of  our  reason  and  conscience. 

*  *  *  It  nowhere  advocates  coercion  in  the  present  crisis.  It 
deprecates  all  appeal  to  force,  and  urges  acquiescence  in  the  recom- 
mendation of  a  convention  of  the  States,  that  disunion,  if  it  must 
come,  may  at  least  be  peaceably  effected. 

Your  friend  and  fellow-servant, 

EDITOR  OF  THE  "  PRINCETON  REVIEW," 


DR.    HODGE    TO    HIS   BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  13,  1860. 

I  am  thoroughly  disgusted  with  the  poltroonery  of  Northern  men. 
If  they  would  take  moderate  and  just  ground,  and  take  it  firmly,  and 
not  go  down  on  their  knees,  and  call  themselves  the  sole  wrong- 
doers, there  would  be  some  hope.  Your  brother, 

C.  H. 


464  THE  CIVIL  WAR.  [1861-65. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    DR.    BOARDMAN. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  16,  1860. 

My  Dear  Sir : —  *  *  *  *  My  own  mind  is  decided  for  the  publi- 
cation of  the  article.  If  it  is  to  do  any  good  it  is  to  be  done  now.  I 
have  no  idea  of-  producing  the  slightest  effect  on  disunionists.  But 
there  are  many  conservative  men  at  the  South  who  wish  to  have 
their  hands  strengthened,  to  whom  it  will  be  a  matter  of  importance  to 
have  it  proved  that  the  whole  North  is  not  abolitionized,  and  that  the 
mass  of  the  people  are  true  friends  to  the  constitutional  rights  of  the 

South.     Besides  the  Republicans  need  to  be  moderated.     Mr. ,  a 

leading  Republican  of  this  State,  expressed  himself  warmly  against 
all  concession,  but  after  reading  my  article,  wrote  to  me  that  "he 
thought  it  took  the  true  ground,  and  that  it  was  right  and  best  to  con- 
ciliate. 

I  fully  believe  that  the  truth  mildly  spoken  will  always  and  every- 
where do  good,  and  I  feel  impelled  to  follow  my  own  strong  conviction 
of  duty,  and  speak  out  what  I  solemnly  believe  to  be  the  truth ;  the 
more  especially,  because,  the  country  is  about  being  plunged  into 
unknown  evils,  mainly  because  the  truth  is  not  known. 

Yours  truly,  C.  H. 

DR.  HODGE   TO   DR.   J.    C.   BACKUS. 

NEW  YORK,  Dec.  28,  1860. 

My  Dear  Sir : —  *  *  *  I  greatly  rejoice  to  hear  that  my  article 
seems  to  you  likely  to  do  good.  Since  I  came  here  I  have  heard,  a 
good  deal  about  it,  which  confirms  my  own  hopes. 

There  were  two  things  in  your  letter  which  astonished  me.  first, 
That  you  supposed  that  I  had  changed  my  ground  on  the  slavery 
question  within  the  last  ten  or  fourteen  years.  I  cannot  conceive 
how  you  got  that  impression.  Within  a  few  years  past  I  re-printed 
the  article  on  Slavery,  (with  my  own  name),  printed  first  in  1836, 
which  was  circulated  by  southern  men  all  over  the  South.  And  in 
the  commentary  on  the  Ephesians  precisely  the  same,  doctrine  is 
taught,  which  Southern  men  freely  endorsed.  I  have  not  changed  an 
inch,  but  I  have  not  gone  on  with  the  extreme  men  of  the  Calhoun 
school.  I  utterly  dissent  from  the  doctrine  of  Dr.  Palmer's  sermon. 

The  second  thing  that  surprised  me  was  that  you  should  think  that 
my  article  would  render  the  Republicans  more  uncompromising  and 
defiant.  It  condemns  the  principles  and  spirit  of  abolition  ;  it  calls  for 
the  faithful  execution  of  the  fugitive  slave  law ;  it  represents  all  per- 
sonal liberty  laws  designed  to  interfere  with  the  restoration  of  fugitives 
immoral ;  it  urges  the  restoration  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  which 


JET.  63-67.]  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  465 

the  conservative  men  North  and  South  are  calling  for,  and  which  the 
extreme  Republicans  resist.  (\  know  that  it  has  induced  some  lead- 
ing Republicans  to  be  willing  to  take  moderate  ground  and  to  meet 
the  South  half-wayT]  Indeed  my  great  hope  of  the  pamphlet  doing 
good  is  that  it  will  correct  public  sentiment  at  the  North. 

Your  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    DR.    BOARDMAN. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  lyth,  1861. 

My  Dear  Sir  : — I  have  already  written  to  the  Southern  Presbyterian, 
Columbia,  S.  C.,  and  to  the  Central  Presbyterian,  Va.,  letters  which 
will  appear  in  the  next  issues  of  those  papers.  In  these  letters  I  have 
said  everything  in  the  way  of  explanation  that  can  be  said.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  good  will  come  of  it.  I  am  not  surprised  at  the  recep- 
tion my  article  has  received  at  the  South.  The  first  impression  will 
give  way  to  serious  consideration,  except  with  those  who  will  be 
satisfied  with  nothing  but  unmitigated  abuse  and  condemnation  of 
the  North.  I  believe  the  article  will  do  good  at  the  South.  A  south- 
ern planter  has,  I  understand,  ordered  a  thousand  copies  of  it.  A 
letter  received  from  Dr.  Smith  of  Danville  Seminary  says  it  is  doing 
good  there.  A  gentleman  born  at  the  South  told  me  he  knew  there 
were  thousands  of  men  there  who  would  heartily  respond  to  its  senti- 
ments. 

We  must  not,  however,  forget  that  there  is  a  North  as  well  as  a 
South.  If  I  am  to  believe  a  tenth  of  what  I  hear,  I  never  wrote  any- 
thing for  the  Review  likely  to  do  the  Seminary  and  all  concerned 
greater  service.  Letters  have  come  from  Democrats,  (Douglas  and 
Breckinridge)  as  well  as  Republicans  giving  that  assurance  in  the 
strongest  terms.  I  received  last  night  a  letter  from  Judge  Elmer,  a 
Democrat  in  Maine,  thanking  me  for  having  written  the  article. 
Horace  Binney  and  Daniel  Lord  are  among  the  men  who  have  ex- 
pressed their  approbation.  Brethren  at  the  West  write  that  it  has 
done  more  than  they  can  well  express  to  sustain  the  Old  School  cause 
and  strengthen  confidence  in  Princeton.  Its  influence  against  aboli- 
tionism and  the  uncompromising  spirit  of  party  leaders  is  everywhere 
recognized.  I  cannot,  therefore,  regret  its  publication. 

You  see  that  the  secessionists  everywhere  resist  submitting  the 
question  to  the  people.  They  can  pack  a  convention,  but  they  fear 
a  vote  direct  from  the  polls.  A  gentleman  from  Alabama,  himself 
a  secessionist,  told  me  to-day  that  had  the  question  there  been  referred 
to  the  people  it  would  be  rejected  by  a  great  majority.  He  said  not 
one  man  in  a  hundred  in  Alabama  either  expected  or  wished  the 

30 


466  THE  CIVIL  WAR.  [1861-65. 

State  to  remain  out  of  the  Union.  They  go  out  to  compromise.  The 
North,  1  am  sure,  would  gladly  accept  the  propositions  of  the  border- 
states  committee,  which  Mr.  Crittenden  himself  acceded  to.  Mr. 
Crittenden's  compromise  which  calls  on  the  General  Government  to 
establish  slavery  everywhere  south  of  36.30  is  what  Henry  Clay 
said  no  power  on  earth  could  force  him  to  vote  for.  I  still  hope  that 
God  will  deliver  us. 

Sincerely  your  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 


DR. .  HODGE   TO    HIS   BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Feb.  18,  1861. 

My  Dear  Brother  : —  *  *  *  *  My  article  has  been  very  extensively 
abused   at  the  South,  but  there  ha.    been  no  attempt  to  answer  it, 

except  by  "  a  Pennsylvania  elder  "  (Judge or  Judge ).    Prof. 

Bledsoe's  piece  I  have  only  looked  at.     He  devotes  his   strength  to 
the  Missouri  Compromise,  which  I  have  nothing  to  do  with.     I  simply 
mentioned  the  fact  of  its  abrogation  as  offending  the   conscience  of 
the   North,  and  as  one   of  the  political  antecedents  of  our   present 
troubles.     No  part  of  the  argument  turns  on  that  point.     The  real 
question   is,  whether  slavery  is  a  municipal  (or  local)  institution,  or 
whether  it  is  a  national  one  founded  on  the  common  law  of  property, 
or  on  the  constitution.     This   is  the  point  to  which  the  "  Elder  "  ad- 
dresses himself.     He  censures  me  as  a  clergyman  for  writing  on  such 
subjects.     I  would  venture  anything  that  I  could  pick   out  blindfold 
500  clergymen  who  could  refute  his  argument  to  the  satisfaction  of 
any  honest  jury.     The  idea,  however,  which  he  insists  upon  has 
taken  hold  of  the  Southern  mind.     The  people  at  the  South  have 
come  to  believe  that  the  Constitution  guarantees  the  protection  of 
slavery  in  all  the  Territories,  and,  therefore,  that  any  Congressional 
law  forbidding  its  introduction  is  unconstitutional  and  a  gross  violation 
of  their  rights.     This  is  the  sole  justification  of  secession  as  urged  by 
Dr.  Thornwell  in  his  article  on  the  state  of  the  country,  re-printed  in 
last  New  York  Observer.     He  says  the  adoption  of  the  principle  that 
Congress  can  prohibit  slavery  in  the  Territories  is  the  abrogation   of 
the    Constitution,  and   even   renders   disunion  a  necessity.     There 
never  was  a  greater  perversion  of  historical  truth.     The  very  opposite 
is  true,  &c.     (The  remainder  of  this  letter  is  lost), 

Dr.  Hodge  says  in  his  article  on  the  "  Princeton  Review 
on  the  State  of  the  Country  and  of  the  Church,"  Oct.  1865, 
speaking  of  his  article  on  the  "State  of  the  Country,"  Jan.f 


MT.  63-67.]  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  467 

1 86 1, "  No  article  ever  printed  in  this  journal  from  the  pen  of 
its  editor  ever  excited  greater  attention.  It  was  reprinted 
at  length  in  several  of  the  religious  papers  of  the  widest 
circulation  in  the  country.  It  was  published  in  pamphlet 
form  and  distributed  in  thousands,  by  the  friends  of  the  Union 
and  of  the  North,  and  it  was  sent  abroad  as  representing 
the  views  of  the  supporters  of  the  government.  It  was  bit- 
terly condemned  and  stigmatized  by  three  classes  of  men. 
First  and  principally,  at  the  South.  The  writer  was  there 
stigmatized  as  '  an  Abolitionist '  and  '  Black  Republican.' 
In  the  second  place,  it  was  severely  criticised  by  men  at  the 
North  who  agreed  with  the  South  in  principle  and  sympa- 
thized with  it  in  feeling.  Thirdly,  as  might  be  expected,  we 
incurred  anew  the  condemnation  of  men  belonging  to  the 
radical  party,  of  which  Garrison  and  Wendell  Phillips  are 
the  principal  representatives." 

He  proceeds  in  his  "Retrospect"  in  1871:  "In  April 
of  the  same  year  (1861)  appeared  another  article  on 
'  The  Church  and  the  Country.'  Secession  was  then  an 
accomplished  fact,  and  the  war  with  all  its  uncertainties  was 
about  to  commence.  The  article  was  designed  as  a  plea 
for  the  unity  of  the  Church,  even  in  the  event  of  the  disso- 
lution of  the  national  union.  The  two  great  sources  of 
apprehension  that  the  political  troubles  of  the  country 
would  lead  to  a  division  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  were 
the  alienation  of  feeling  on  the  part  of  our  Southern  bre- 
thren, and  the  new,  unscriptural,  and  anti-Christian  senti- 
ment which  leading  men  among  them  avowed  on  the  sub- 
ject of  slavery.  Instead  of  regarding  it  as  merely  allowable 
under  certain  circumstances,  they  had  come  to  advocate  it 
as  a  good;  as  the  best  organization  of  labor;  as  to  be 
conserved,  extended  and  perpetuated.  They  also  main- 
tained that  slavery  was  founded  on  natural,  and  not  on  muni- 
cipal law;  that  it  did  not  depend  on  the  lex  loci,  and  therefore 
that  slaveholders  had  the  right  to  carry  their  slaves  and  to 
retain  them,  as  such,  wherever  they  could  carry  any  other 


468  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  [1861-65. 

kind  of  property,  provided  the  holding  of  that  kind  ot 
property  was  not  specially  forbidden  by  the  sovereignty 
into  which  they  went.  On  this  ground  it  is  claimed  that 
slavery  went  of  right  into  all  the  territories  of  the  United 
States;  that  Congress  had  no  authority  to  prohibit  slavery 
in  the  territories,  but  was  bound  to  protect  property  in 
slaves  as  well  as  any  other  kind  of  property.  The  assertion 
of  the  right  of  Congress  to  prohibit  slavery  in  a  territory  in 
which  it  was  the  local  legislature,  was  declared  to  be  a 
'  thorough  and  radical  revolution ;  it  proposes  new  and  ex- 
traordinary terms  of  union.  The  old  Government  is  as 
completely  abolished  as  if  the  people  of  the  United  States 
had  met  in  convention  and  repealed  the  constitution/* 
How  new  this  astounding  doctrine  was  is  plain  from  the 
fact  that  the  act  of  Congress  prohibiting  slavery  north  of 
latitude  36°  30  was,  as  Mr.  Benton  tells  us,  the  wish  of  the 
South,  sustained  by  the  united  voice  of  Mr.  Monroe's  cabi- 
net (including  John  C.  Calhoun  and  William  H.  Crawford), 
the  united  voices  of  the  Southern  senators,  and  a  majority 
of  the  Southern  representatives^ 

"  It  is  to  the  refutation  of  the  extreme  views  just  men- 
tioned that  the  article  in  question  is  principally  devoted. 

"In  1862  an  article  appeared  entitled,  'England  and 
America.'  The  Christian  public  in  this  country  were  very 
slow  to  believe  that  England  sided  with  the  South  in  our 
recent  struggle.  This  was  so  unexpected,  so  unreasonable, 
so  contrary  to  the  professed  principles  of  both  government 
and  people,  that  Americans  could  not  believe  it  until  the 
conviction  was  forced  upon  them.  The  whole  secular  press 
of  that  country,  whether  metropolitan,  provincial  or  co- 
lonial, with  few  exceptions,  were  as  vituperative  and  denun- 
ciatory of  the  North,  as  the  Southern  papers  themselves. 
The  same  is  true,  scarcely  with  the  same  number  of  excep- 
tions, of  the  religious  press,  whether  controlled  by  Episco- 

*Dr.  Thornwell  on  "  State  of  the  Country,"  p.  26. 
f  Thirty  Years  in  the  Senate,  vol.  I.  p.  &. 


AT.  63-67.]  THE  CIVIL   WAR,  469 

palians,  Presbyterians,  or  Congregationalists.  This  is  a 
fact  for  which  we  have  never  seen  or  heard  any  satisfactory 
explanation.  The  article  in  question  was  written  as  a  protest 
against  this  unrighteous  judgment.  It  was  designed  to  show 
that  the  rebellion  was  made  in  the  interest  of  slavery.  This 
was  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  grievance  complained  of 
had  almost  exclusive  reference  to  that  institution.  Those 
grievances  were  the  denunciations  of  abolitionists ;  the  ob- 
structions thrown  in  the  way  of  the  restoration  of  fugitive 
slaves ;  the  refusal  to  admit  slaveholding  in  the  free  territories; 
the  election  of  an  anti-slavery  president,  and  the  like.  It 
was  proved  by  official  declarations  of  public  bodies ;  by  the 
avowals  of  the  leading  politicians  of  the  South;  by  the 
appeals  of  the  Southern  press  to  slaveholders  to  sustain  a 
war  made  for  their  special  interests.  That  English  anti- 
slavery  Christians  should  sustain  a  rebellion  made  to  con- 
serve, perpetuate,  and  extend  slavery,  was  a  moral  pheno- 
menon that  astonished  the  Christian  world.  In  the  second 
place,  the  article  was  designed  to  show  that  even  with 
regard  to  slavery  the  South  had  no  serious  grounds  for 
complaint :  that  the  abolitionists,  who  denounced  all  slave- 
holders as  criminal,  were  a  small  minority  of  the  people  of 
the  North;  that  the  general  government,  on  which  alone 
rested  the  obligation  of  executing  the  fugitive-slave  law,  so 
far  from  being  remiss  in  the  discharge  of  that  duty,  had 
erred  in  the  opposite  extreme ;  and  that  in  refusing  to 
sanction  slavery  in  the  free  territories,  Congress  had  acted 
on  the  principles  not  only  of  Jefferson,  Madison,  Monroe, 
Lowndes,  and  of  all  the  great  representative  men  of  the 
South,  but  of  the  civilized  world.  Judge  McLean,  in  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  said  from  the  bench 
that  the  great  principle  decided  by  Lords  Mansfield  and 
Stowell,  against  which  there  is  no  dissenting  authority,  was 
'  that  a  slave  is  not  property  beyond  the  operation  of  the 
territorial  law  which  makes  him  such.'  He  further  said,  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  has  decided  that 


47O  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  [1861-65. 

*  slavery  is  a  mere  municipal  regulation,  founded  on  and 
limited  to  the  range  of  territorial  law.'  Judge  Curtis  of  the 
same  Court  said,  '  Slavery  being  contrary  to  natural  right 
is  created  only  by  municipal  law.  This  is  not  only  plain  in 
itself,  and  agreed  to  by  all  writers  on  the  subject,  but  it  is 
inferable  from  the  Constitution,  and  has  been  explicitly 
declared  by  this  Court.'  He  further  said,  'I  am  not  ac- 
quainted with  any  case  or  any  writer  questioning  the  cor- 
rectness of  this  doctrine.'  It  was  the  practical  assertion  of 
this  doctrine  which  men  at  the  South  said  worked  a  repeal 
of  the  Constitution,  and  absolved  them  from  all  allegiance 
to  the  national  government.  That  England  should  desire 
the  success  of  a  rebellion  having  such  an  object,  and  sus- 
tained by  such  reasons,  was  a  grief  and  a  marvel  to  the 
Christian  world. 

"The  article  on  'The  War/  January  7,  1863,  was  written 
during  the  gloomiest  period  of  the  struggle.  The  South, 
although  inferior  in  point  of  numbers,  had  many  advan- 
tages. They  operated  near  their  resources ;  they  were 
united;  their  laboring  population  being  slaves  were  not 
combatants,  but  carried  on  the  work  of  production,  while 
the  population  were  at  liberty  to  take  the  field.  The  North 
labored  under  the  disadvantage  of  operating  at  a  great  dis- 
tance from  their  resources,  and  over  a  territory  a  thousand 
miles  in  extent,  and  the  people  were  far  from  being  united. 
A  large  party  was  opposed  to  the  war  from  the  beginning. 
A  still  larger  portion  of  the  people  were  opposed  to  the 
administration,  and  did  all  they  could  to  prevent  its  suc- 
cess. Many  who  at  the  commencement  of  the  struggle 
sided  heartily  with  the  national  government,  had  become 
alienated  and  hostile  on  account  of  the  measures  which  had 
been  adopted.  The  design  of  the  article  was  to  promote 
harmony  among  the  people  of  the  North.  There  could  be 
no  hope  of  such  harmonious  action  unless  the  conscience  of 
the  people  was  on  the  side  of  the  government.  'There 
never  was  a  time/  the  writer  said,  '  when  the  public  con- 


M'*.  63-67.]  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  471 

science  was  more  disturbed,  or  when  it  was  more  necessary 
that  moral  principles  in  their  bearing  on  national  conduct 
should  be  clearly  presented.'  It  was  then  urged  that  the 
great  principle,  that  the  moral  law,  or,  the  will  of  God, 
however  revealed,  binds  nations  as  well  as  individuals, 
should  be  the  rule  of  public  action.  The  dictum  of  Coke, 
one  of  the  greatest  legal  authorities,  '  That  any  act  of  Par- 
liament which  conflicts  with  the  law  of  God  is  null  and 
void,'  should  be  written  in  letters  of  gold  in  every  legisla- 
tive hall  and  in  every  court  of  justice  in  the  country. 

"  On  this  principle  the  article  urged  that  the  legitimate, 
the  avowed  object  of  the  war,  viz.,  the  preservation  of  the 
union,  should  be  religiously  adhered  to ;  and  that  the  war 
itself  should  be  conducted  in  strict  observance  of  recog- 
nised military  law.  The  two  great  subjects  on  which  pub- 
lic sentiment  was  dangerously  divided,  were  the  right  of 
the  President  to  suspend  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  and  his 
authority  as  commander-in-chief,  and  as  a  war  measure,  to 
decree  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves.  The  article  took  the 
ground  that  both  these  rights  belonged  to  the  President 
during  times  of  war,  and  for  military  ends,  i.  e.  for  the  pre- 
servation of  the  country,  and  for  the  suppression  of  rebel- 
lion." 

CORRESPONDENCE    WITH    HIS    BROTHER. 
His  letters  to  his  brother  during  these  memorable  years 
contain  many  interesting  expressions  of  opinions  on  pass- 
ing events. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

WASHINGTON,  July  24,  1861. 

My  Dear  Brother: — As  I  am  here  at  headquarters,  you  may  think 
I  ought  to  give  you  some  definite  information  as  to  the  disastrous 
battle  of  the  2ist  (the  battle  of  Bull  Run).  Accounts  of  facts,  how- 
ever, and  opinions  as  to  the  causes  of  those  facts,  are  as  discordant 
here  as  elsewhere.  Some  throw  the  blame  on  the  volunteers  ;  others 
on  the  original  plan  ;  others  on  the  bad  management  of  McDowell ; 
others  on  the  inefficiency  and  want  of  courage  of  the  officers. 


472  BATTLE  OF  BULL  RUN.  [1861. 

First,  as  to  the  plan  and  purpose  of  the  expedition,  Gen.  Scott,  as 
I  hear  from  the  best  authority,  endeavors  to  wash  his  hands  of  the 
whole  business.  He  says  that  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  he  was  a 
coward  and  yielded  to  the  pressure  of  politicians  in  the  Cabinet,  in 
Congress,  and  to  popular  clamor ;  that  he  disapproved  of  the  whole 
thing  from  beginning  to  end.  This  will  be  admitted  by  no  one  to  be 
the  slightest  justification  ;  besides,  the  object  of  the  expedition  was, 
even  in  the  judgment  of  all  concerned,  a  feasible  and  important  one. 
That  object,  as  Col.  Hunter  told  me  just  before  he  started,  was  not  to 
assail  Manassas  Junction,  or  to  drive  Beauregard  from  that  position, 
but  to  threaten  his  rear  and  force  him  either  to  retreat  or  to  come  out 
and  give  battle  on  equal  terms.  Instead  of  this,  however,  either 
from  a  change  of  plan  on  the  ground,  or  from  error  in  its  execution, 
there  was  a  direct  assault  on  the  outworks  of  Manassas  Junction, 
and  an  effort  made  to  drive  the  enemy  from  that  position.  I  heard 
it  said  beforehand  that  it  would  be  as  preposterous  to  assail  Beaure- 
gard in  a  position  which  he  had  employed  forty  (?)  days  in  strength- 
ening as  it  would  have  been  in  him  to  assail  our  intrenchment  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Potomac.  The  force  sent  was  sufficient  to  cope 
with  Beauregard  on  the  open  field,  but  totally  inadequate  either  to 
assail  his  intrenchments  or  to  fight  him  and  Johnston  combined. 
The  thing  actually  attempted  was  to  do  both.  It  was  known  before 
the  battle  that  Johnston  had  arrived  at  the  Junction,  and  yet  the  as- 
sault of  the  position  was  made.  That  it  succeeded  as  far  as  it  did  is 
wonderful,  and  shows  conclusively  the  superiority  of  our  troops  to 
their  opponents.  We  fought  from  morning  till  night  double  our 
number,  who  had  every  advantage  of  position  and  covered  batteries, 
driving  the  enemy  in  that  time  several  miles.  Until  the  panic  seized 
our  troops,  every  one  thought  the  day  was  ours. 

Now  as  to  the  question  why  we  failed  at  last,  the  answer  may  be 
found  in  what  has  been  said.  More  was  attempted  than  could  be  ac- 
complished with  the  resources  at  command.  This  may  be  a  sufficient 
answer  to  the  question.  But  it  is  openly  said  that  there  was  great 
mismanagement  in  handling  the  troops.  In  the  first  place,  they  were 
exhausted  by  a  long  march  before  they  came  into  action.  The  sev- 
eral divisions  started  from  Centerville  at  2  o'clock,  A.  M.  Two  of 
them  had  but  three  or  four  miles  to  go  before  getting  into  position. 
Col.  Hunter's  division,  which  was  to  make  the  principal  attack,  had 
twelve  miles  to  march  through  the  woods  and  over  difficult  ground. 
He  was  on  the  road  from  2  A.  M.  to  n.  His  men  were  tired  out. 
Some  of  the  soldiers  who  have  been  here  three  months  told  me  that 
that  march  was  the  hardest  day's  work  they  had  performed  since 
they  came  to  Washington.  In  that  state  of  exhaustion  they  came 


*£T.  63.]  BATTLE  OF  BULL  RUN.  473 

under  fire,  and  were  called  upon  to  assail  battery  after  battery,  and 
charge  regiment  after  regiment,  and  they  did  it  successfully  from 
II  to  near  5  p.  M.  Bringing  his  men  into  action  in  such  a  state  of 
exhaustion  was  not  Col.  Hunter's  fault.  It  was  the  service  assigned 
to  him  in  the  programme  of  the  battle. 

In  the  second  place,  it  is  said  that  there  was  great  delay  on  the  part 
of  Tyler's  division.  He  had  but  two  or  three  miles  to  go,  and  was 
expected  to  commence  the  fight  by  6  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
draw  attention  to  that  part  of  the  field,  while  in  point  of  fact  the  real 
battle  was  begun  by  Hunter's  division  at  1 1  A.  M.  There  were  sev- 
eral shots  fired  from  6  o'clock  onward  by  the  large  rifle  gun  in  Ty- 
ler's division,  to  feel  the  position  of  the  enemy,  and  wake  them  up  ; 
but  there  was  no  real  fighting  there  until  1 1  o'clock.  So  I  hear  it 
said  by  men  on  the  ground. 

In  the  third  place,  what  appears  to  me  the  greatest  proof  of  mis- 
management in  the  whole  affair,  is  that  not  one-half  our  men  were 
brought  into  action.  The  reserve,  consisting  of  seven  New  Jersey 
regiments,  under  Gen.  Runyan,  were  not  called  up  until  the  stampede 
began  and  the  day  was  lost.  Mrs.  Howland  tells  me  that  her  hus- 
band informed  her  that  eight  regiments  of  Miles'  division,  to  which 
Mr.  Howland  was  attached,  stood  watching  a  ford,  the  whole  day 
idle.  They  had  a  little  skirmish  of  their  own  in  the  afternoon,  but 
they  received  no  order  from  morning  until  the  order  of  retreat  at  the 
close  of  the  day.  Besides  this,  Blenker's  brigade,  including  the  Ger- 
man Turners,  the  Garibaldi,  and  other  choice  regiments,  were  not 
brought  into  action.  And  yet  the  retreat  was  covered  by  the  regu- 
lars, cavalry  and  infantry.  Miles  was  idiotically  drunk  the  whole 
day,  and  was  incapable  of  doing  anything.  But  how  McDowell 
could  leave  so  many  of  his  men  unemployed,  it  is  hard  to  under- 
stand. He  may  have  thought  the  day  was  his  own  without  the  as- 
sistance of  the  idle  troops,  but  those  troops  should  have  been  in  po- 
sition to  meet  any  emergency.  The  day  was  won  to  all  appearance. 
This  is  the  unanimous  testimony  of  all  on  the  ground,  civilians  as 
well  as  military  men.  The  panic  was  probably  on  one  part  of  the 
field  where  the  battle  had  been  actually  fought  out  by  the  sudden  ap- 
pearance of  large  reinforcements  to  the  enemy,  and  a  successful 
charge  of  cavalry  on  one  regiment,  which  was  broken  and  put  to 
flight,  and  thus  created  a  panic  in  the  exhausted  troops  around  them. 
This  did  not  extend  to  all  the  army.  The  division  of  Miles'  to  which 
Mr.  Howland  belonged  had  nothing  to  do,  retired  in  perfect  order 
and  got  back  to  Alexandria  without  losing  a  gun  or  musket  or  soiling 
their  hands. 

I  am  very  much  pained  to  hear  how  the  regular  officers  are  di» 


474  BATTLE  OF  BULL  RUN.  [1861. 

posed  to  speak  of  the  volunteers.  There  were  doubtless  some  regi- 
ments which  behaved  badly,  but  whatever  fighting  was  done,  was 
done  by  the  artillery  and  the  volunteers,  and  the  loss  fell  principally 
upon  them.  That  loss  is  very  much  less,  however,  than  was  at  first 
supposed.  The  7ist  New  York,  said  to  have  been  cut  to  pieces,  lost 
only  about  20  in  killed  ;  and  so  in  many  other  cases  the  reports  prove 
equally  exaggerated. 

Col.  Hunter's  wound  is  more  serious  than  it  at  first  appeared,  but 
he  is  doing  well,  and  will  be  about  in  a  few  days.  He  must  have  had 
his  head  turned  to  the  right,  and  a  fragment  of  a  shell  cut  the  muscle 
just  under  the  right  ear,  and  divided  some  small  arteries.  Dr.  Wood, 
the  second  medical  officer  in  rank  in  the  army,  lives  next  door  to  us, 
and  was  here  when  the  Colonel  arrived.  He  told  me  afterwards  that 
in  all  his  experience  he  never  saw  a  man  so  near  death  as  the 
Colonel  was  when  he  fainted  and  sank  on  the  floor  of  the  entry. 
His  pulse  could  not  be  felt  for  some  time,  his  hands  and  feet  were 
cold,  and  it  was  some  hours  before  it  was  safe  to  raise  his  head.  His 
wound  bled  the  whole  day.  He  lay  in  his  carriage  from  12  to  near 
5  P.  M.,  and  then  when  he  started  to  return  they  got  involved  in  the 
stream  of  soldiers,  wagons  and  artillery,  and  had  literally  to  fight 
their  way  through.  This,  of  course,  agitated  him,  and  caused  him 
to  make  more  or  less  exertion.  Mercifully  he  had  a  few  friends 
around  besides  Sam,  who  gradually  got  a  dozen  troopers  to  surround 
the  carriage  and  get  it  out  of  the  press. 

Col.  Hunter  is  not  responsible  for  anything  said  in  this  letter.  The 
views  are  my  own  gathered,  from  many  different  sources.  You  may 
tell  Wistar  that  Sam  says  that  Fanny  is  the  greatest  little  fighting 
horse  going.  She  wagged  her  tail  when  a  shell  burst  over,  or  a  can- 
non ball  passed  under  her  nose.  He  rode  her  all  over  the  field  in 
the  midst  of  shot  and  shell  for  hours,  the  admiration  of  all  be-' 
holders.  The  Col.  says  Sam.  took  it  as  great  fun,  and  seemed  per- 
fectly at  home,  exciting  and  encouraging  the  troops  as  though  he 
had  been  used  to  it  all  his  life.  It  is  a  great  mercy  the  Col.  was 
wounded  so  early  in  the  day.  He  says  he  and  Sam  would  certainly 
have  been  both  killed  had  they  continued  all  day  in  the  advance, 
exposed  as  they  were  all  the  time  before  he  was  disabled.  When  the 
Col.  was  shot  he  sent  Sam  to  tell  Colonel  Porter  that  the  command  of 
the  division  fell  on  him.  Sam  had  to  ride  all  over  the  field  in  every 
direction  for  an  hour  before  he  could  find  Col.  Porter,  and  then  was 
almost  as  long  in  finding  the  place  to  which  his  uncle  had  been  taken. 

God  has  been  most  merciful  to  us  in  this  great  trial. 


63-67.]  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  475 


DR.    HODGE    TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  9,  1862. 

My  Dear  Brother: — This  letter  is  about  myself.  The  pain  in  my 
chest,  of  which  I  spoke  to  you,  instead  of  being  occasional  and  shoot- 
ing, has  of  late  been  constant,  quiet  and  aching,  (not  severe).  It  is 
produced  or  increased  by  any  prolonged  exertion  of  any  kind,  men- 
tal, emotional  or  bodily.  At  times  it  is  attended  by  increased  action 
of  the  pulse  both  as  to  frequency  and  force,  and  then  I  feel  queer,  a 
little  disposed  to  nausea,  and  a  little  to  fainting.  Twice  I  have  had 
to  give  up  and  go  to  bed.  All  this  is,  I  suppose,  what  you  call  nervous. 
Nevertheless  it  is  dispiriting  not  to  be  able  to  work.  Dr.  Alexander, 
although  all  his  life  dyspeptic  and  hypochondriac  was  as  able  to  work 
at  80  as  he  was  at  40. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    HIS     BROTHER. 
RHINELAND,  (north  shore  of  Long  Island,)  July  15,  1862. 

My  Dear  Brother : — Much  to  our  regret  we  leave  here  to-morrow 
morning.  If  I  was  not  obliged  to  be  in  Pittsburgh  on  the  22d, 
we  should  much  prefer  remaining  where  we  are  until  the  close 
of  the  month.  Here  we  have  pure  salt  air,  beautiful  scenery, 
kind  friends,  abundance  to  eat  and  drink,  delightful  bathing,  and  a 
large  library,  and  nothing  to  do.  These  are  all  the  necessary  condi- 
tions of  recuperation.  This  house  stands  directly  north  and  south  on 
an  eminence.  To  the  north  is  the^Sound  with  the  Connecticut  shore 
in  the  distance,  on  the  west  the  broad  inlet  into  Huntington  harbor  ; 
and  to  the  south  the  harbor  itself  and  the  village  two  miles  distant, 
on  the  opposite  shore.  Mary  says  that  I  am  better  than  I  have  been 
for  a  year.  Certain  it  is  that  we  are  both  getting  awfully  fat. 

It  is  useless  to  speculate  on  our  national  affairs.  Everything  shows 
the  great  advantages  of  a  military  despotism  in  time  of  war  over  a 
republic,  in  the  unity  of  plan  and  control,  and  in  command  over  the 
resources  of  a  country.  It  is  clear  that  six  millions  of  people  by  con- 
scription can  be  made  to  furnish  more  men  than  twenty  millions  by 
volunteers.  I  fear  we  shall  after  all  be  out-numbered  on  every  im- 
portant battle-field,  especially  if  our  affairs  are  to  be  left  in  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Stanton.  It  was  suggested  that  Gen.  Halleck  was  to  be  made 
Secretary  of  War.  This  would  be  a  grand  move.  But  the  radical 
Republicans,  I  fear,  are  too  strong  to  allow  Mr.  Lincoln  to  act  accord- 
ing to  his  own  judgment  in  this  matter.  I  still  have  full  confidence 
that  God  is  on  our  side,  and  that  He  will  bring  us  safe,  and  I  trust 
purified,  out  of  all  our  troubles. 


476  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  [1861-65. 

We  hope  to  be  in  Princeton  before  the  first  week  of  August  is  past, 
unless  we  are  induced  to  linger  longer  at  Altoona  or  Cresson. 
May  all  good  rest  on  you  and  yours,  my  dear  brother. 

CHARLES  HODGE. 


DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  7,  1862. 

My  Dear  Brother: — *  *  *  Gen.  Halleck  labors  hard  but  to  lit- 
tle purpose  to  throw  the  responsibility  of  the  disastrous  Pope  cam- 
paign on  McClellan.  This  must  ultimately  recoil  on  himself.  The 
disastrous  results  of  his  management  are  enough  to  appall  him. 

Your  brother,  O.  H. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  24,  1862. 

My  Dear  Brother: — When  President  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Stanton,  by 
their  mismanagement,  had  got  everything  into  confusion,  the  country 
hoped  that  the  appointment  of  Gen.  Halleck  to  the  chief  command 
of  the  army  would  secure  intelligent  control  of  our  vast  resources 
and  lead  to  a  speedy  and  happy  end  of  our  great  struggle.  He  has 
proved  an  utter  failure.  Nothing  but  disaster  has  followed  his  mea- 
sures, until  at  last  the  country  is  apparently  on  the  brink  of  ruin. 
"  Oh  that  my  enemy  had  written  a  book  !  "  was  the  shrewd  exclama- 
tion of  an  ancient  patriarch.  Halleck  has  written  official  letters  and 
reports,  and  has  thereby  placed  himself  upon  a  pillory  from  which 
he  will  never  be  able  to  descend.  He  staked  his  own  reputation  and 
the  interest  and  honor  of  the  country  on  the  removal  of  McClellan 
from  the  Peninsula.  All  the  disasters  which  McClellan  predicted 
as  the  consequences  of  that  movement  have  been  realized.  Thou- 
sands of  lives  have  been  sacrificed,  millions  of  money  have  been 
squandered,  the  whole  summer  wasted,  the  prestige  of  our  arms  de- 
stroyed, the  country  disgraced,  and  foreign  nations  emboldened  in 
their  hostility.  Burdened  with  the  responsibility  of  these  tremend- 
ous consequences  of  his  mismanagement,  he  most  ungenerously  and 
unjustly  endeavored  to  throw  the  blame  on  McClellan,  and  finally 
succeeds  in  driving  him  from  the  command  of  an  army  which  he 
had  created  and  saved,  and  which  was  enthusiastically  devoted  to 
him.  This  was  done  in  opposition  to  the  judgment  of  two-thirds  of 
the  people  in  the  country.  It  may  be  safely  said  that  the  whole 
Democratic  party  as  represented  in  the  recent  elections,  and  at  least 
one-half  of  the  Republican  party,  regard  McClellan  (as  Burnside 


;ET.63-67.]  THE  CIVIL   WAR,  477 

does)  as  the  only  man  competent  to  the  command  of  that  great 
army.  This  also  is  the  judgment  not  only  of  the  Prince  de  Joinville, 
but  a  Prussian  officer  of  rank  in  the  service  of  the  Confederates  has 
recently  published  in  Germany  an  account  of  the  battles  before  Rich- 
mond, in  which  he  gives  McClellan  credit  for  consummate  ability, 
and  attributes  his  failure  to  take  Richmond  to  the  fact  that  McDowell 
did  not  co-operate  with  him. 

It  can  hardly  now  be  considered  an  open  question  that  in  the  mat- 
ters between  Halleck  and  McClellan  the  former  was  fatally  wrong. 
In  \htfirst  place,  common-sense  would  seem  to  teach  that  it  was  ab- 
surd to  remove  an  army  of  eighty  or  ninety  thousand  men  from  a 
strong  position  within  twenty  miles  of  Richmond  two  hundred  miles 
by  water  in  order  to  march  them  back  over  a  difficult  route  of  60  or 
80  miles  by  land  to  the  same  place.  In  the  second  place,  the  reasons 
assigned  for  this  strange  movement  show  Halleck's  incompetency. 
McClellan  demanded  35,000  reinforcements.  Halleck  said  the  Gov- 
ernment could  only  give  him  20,000.  For  the  sake  of  the  difference 
of  15,000,  he  undertook  to  order  the  transfer  of  McClellan's  whole 
command,  although  the  country  was  raising  300,000  new  troops  at 
the  rate  of  several  thousands  a  day.  His  great  reason,  however, 
was  the  military  principle  that  columns  of  attack  should  be  within 
supporting  distance,  consequently  it  was  a  false  position  to  have  the 
enemy  between  McClellan's  army  and  an  army  moving  from  Fred- 
ericksburgh.  It  is  a  sure  mark  of  an  ordinary  mind  to  be  governed 
by  general  maxims,  without  the  power  to  see  when  and  how  their  ap- 
plication is  modified  by  circumstances.  No  one,  I  suppose,  now 
doubts  that  if  McClellan  had  been  suitably  reinforced  at  Harrison's 
Landing,  Lee  never  would  have  dared  to  leave  Richmond  to  attack 
Pope  or  McDowell. 

It  is  not,  however,  so  much  the  blunders  of  Halleck,  disastrous 
as  they  have  been,  as  the  animus  he  displays,  which  have  forfeited 
for  him  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  people.  His  charges 
against  McClellan  are  so  evidently  unjust  and  selfish  in  their  motives 
that  they  reveal  the  character  of  the  man.  He  complains  of  his  de- 
lay to  leave  Harrison's  Landing,  and  contrasts  it  with  the  prompt- 
ness with  which  Burnside  obeyed  the  order  to  evacuate  New  Port 
News.  Burnside  had  no  incumbrances.  He  had  nothing  to  do  but 
to  strike  his  tents  and  embark.  McClellan  had  immense  siege  artil- 
lery in  position  along  miles  of  intrenchments,  and  vast  accumula- 
tions of  munitions  and  commissary  stores,  with  innumerable  wagons 
and  horses.  It  required  ten  days  of  incessant  labor  night  and  day 
to  get  these  things  aboard  the  transports  ready  for  a  start.  Besides, 
Lee  did  not  move  an  inch  from  Richmond  until  McClellan  was  ac- 


478  THE  CIVIL  WAR.  [1861-65. 

tually  on  march  for  Fortress  Monroe.  Had  the  delay  been  two 
weeks  it  could  not  have  altered  the  matter  the  least.  He  censured 
McClellan  for  moving  only  six  miles  a  day  in  Maryland,  when  he 
had  the  army  to  reorganize,  everything  to  accumulate  on  his  way, 
and  when  as  it  was  he  kept  so  much  in  advance  of  his  ammunition 
train  that  his  artillery  at  Antietam  had  to  fire  blank  cartridges  for  the 
last  two  hours  of  the  battle.  He  himself  took  fifty-four  days  to 
march  a  victorious  army  from  Pittsburgh  Landing  to  Corinth,  about 
20  miles,  and  then  delayed  an  attack  until  Beauregard,  and  his  whole 
army,  and  all  he  had,  had  escaped.  This  may  have  been  right,  but 
it  shows  that  Halleck  is  not  the  man  to  sneer  at  delays.  The  Na- 
tional Intelligencer  calls  him  "  the  prince  of  cunctators  in  the  field, 
but  a  Prince  Rupert  when  sitting  in  the  War  Department."  Such 
was  his  anxiety  to  vindicate  himself  and  to  injure  McClellan  that  he 
published  his  plans  and  principles  to  the  world,  and  thereby  informed 
Gen.  Lee  that  he  had  no  reason  to  fear  an  assault  on  Richmond  from 
Suffolk,  but  might  accumulate  his  whole  force  to  resist  the  one  attack 
from  Fredericksburgh.  This  seemed  incredible,  and  therefore  many 
believed  that  his  report  was  designed  as  a  blind,  and  that  the  move- 
ment on  Fredericksburgh  was  only  a  feint,  while  the  real  attack  was 
to  be  made  by  Banks  on  the  south  of  the  James  River.  No  one  can 
read  the  testimony  given  before  the  Senate's  Committee  without  be- 
ing painfully  impressed  with  the  incompetency  of  all  concerned  in 
the  movement  on  Fredericksburgh.  Halleck  washes  his  hands  of 
the  whole  thing,  as  though  he  was  not  commander-in-chief.  Burn- 
side  says  he  took  it  for  granted  that  Halleck,  who  gave  the  command 
about  the  pontoons,  would  see  it  executed.  Halleck  says  it  was 
Burnside's  business  to  see  that  the  order  was  carried  into  effect. 
Gens.  Woodbury  and  Meigs  say,  that  as  it  would  take  only  two  days 
and  a  half  for  Burnside  to  reach  Fredericksburgh,  it  was  impossible 
in  that  time  to  get  the  pontoons  on  the  ground.  Woodbury  swears 
that  he  begged  Halleck  to  arrest  the  transfer  of  the  army  to  Freder- 
icksburgh for  five  days,  to  give  time  to  execute  the  order  about  the 
pontoons,  but  he  refused  to  delay  the  movement  an  hour.  The  con- 
sequence was  the  delay  of  a  fortnight,  giving  Lee  time  to  collect  all 
his  forces,  and  to  render  the  position  impregnable.  The  greatest  of 
all  Halleck's  sins  against  the  country,  however,  was  the  removal  of 
McClellan  from  the  command  of  such  an  army  in  the  midst  of  a 
march  and  the  execution  of  a  plan  of  campaign,  and  appointing  a 
man  who  says  himself  that  he  was  not  only  incompetent,  but  that  he 
knew  less  of  the  positive  strength  of  the  several  corps  than  any 
division  commander  in  the  army.  What  the  consequences  of  this 
step  have  been  we  now  all  see  and  deplore. 


MT.  63-67.]  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  479 

As  to  the  deplorable  affair  at  Fredericksburgh  I  think  no  one  can 
read  the  testimony  before  the  committee  of  the  Senate  without  being 
further  convinced  that  it  was  an  inexcusable  and  criminal  sacrifice 
of  life.  General  Franklin  testifies  that  the  enemy  could  have  pre- 
vented the  passage  of  the  river  at  either  of  the  points  proposed,  had 
he  chosen  to  do  so,  and  that  his  own  grand  division  was  entirely  at 
the  mercy  of  Lee  after  he  had  crossed.  He  was,  therefore,  opposed 
to  passing  the  river  at  all.  Hooker  says  he  was  in  favor  of  passing 
with  his  corps  higher  up,  and  with  40,000  men,  taking,  as  he  says  he 
could  have  done,  a  position  behind  Fredericksburgh,  from  which  the 
whole  Confederate  army  could  have  been  commanded?  Sumner 
says  he  agreed  to  everything  Burnside  proposed,  even  to  the  passage 
of  the  river  at  least  at  that  point.  Then  as  to  the  attack  on  the  enemy's 
position  it  was  against  all  probability  of  success.  To  bring  infantry 
to  storm  intrenchments  well  furnished  with  cannon,  when  the  troops 
have  to  be  any  considerable  time  under  fire,  is  a  desperate  affair. 
The  rebels  at  Malvern  Hills  failed  utterly,  although  they  assailed  an 
unintrenched  position,  but  one  well  defended  by  artillery.  They 
failed  notwithstanding  their  determined  efforts  at  Corinth,  though 
two  to  one  to  our  troops  ;  just  as  Packenham  failed  with  his  English 
veterans  at  New  Orleans.  The  attempt  proved  that  it  was  a  fool- 
hardy assault.  After  terrible  slaughter  and  the  most  desperate  efforts, 
continued  from  morning  to  night,  not  the  slightest  progress  was  made. 
Burnside  said  he  failed  because  the  thing  attempted  was  "  impossi- 
ble !"  Sumner  says  that  had  we  carried  the  first  line  we  could  not 
have  held  it,  that  the  second  was  still  stronger.  Here  then  by  the 
admission  of  the  two  Generals  who  approved  the  measure,  the  thing 
they  attempted  was  an  impossibility.  Notwithstanding  this,  Burnside 
says  he  had  all  his  troops  all  prepared  to  renew  the  assault  on  Sun- 
day morning,  and  was  only  prevented  by  the  remonstrance  of  all  his 
division  commanders.  Yet  our  President  tells  the  army  and  the 
world  that  the  attempt  was  not  an  error,  that  it  failed  only  by  accident. 
That  is,  they  failed  to  accomplish  an  "impossibility"  by  accident! 
It  really  seems  as  if  God  had  given  up  our  rulers  to  fatuity.  It  is 
this  and  not  any  doubt  of  the  power  of  government,  or  of  the  resources 
of  the  country,  which  makes  me  so  despondent.  Stanton  or  Halleck, 
or  whoever  has  the  ordering  of  matters,  cannot  concentrate  men 
enough  to  overcome  Lee's  army  of  150,000  or  80,000  as  some  say. 
Banks  is  sent  off  to  the  ends  of  the  earth ;  Foster  is  sent  to  make  a 
raid  and  destroy  a  few  bridges  at  the  cost  of  200  lives,  and  the  whole 
resources  of  the  country  are  frittered  away. 

You  must  think  I  have  little  to  do  when  I  write  you  such  a  letter. 
But  my  heart  was  so  full  I  wanted  to  pour  it  out.  Whether  you  agree 


480  THE  CIVIL  WAR.  [1861-65. 

with  me  or  not  I  cannot  say.     I  know  I  speak  what  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  the  best  men  of  the  country  think. 
Your  affectionate  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Jan.  27,  1863. 

My  Dear  Brother : — I  enclose  your  check  to  my  order.  I  cannot 
in  conscience  take  your  money.  I  have  done  too  much  of  that 
already.  As  long  as  you  were  rich  (at  least  in  income),  I  did  not 
care  how  much  you  gave  me,  but  tempora  mutantur,  and  we  must 
change  with  them.  If  I  stick  in  the  mud,  which  is  not  likely,  I  will 
call  on  you  to  help  me  out.  If  gold  keeps  going  up  we  shall  all  be 
reduced  to  a  common  level. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Sept.  16,  1864. 

My  Dear  Brother : —  ******  Could  I  see  you  I  would  have  a 
battle  royal  with  you  about  McClellan.  I  think  you  do  him  great  in- 
justice. My  view  of  the  case  is,  (i).  That  McClellan  is  a  gentleman, 
a  Christian  and  a  man  of  superior  ability.  (2)  So  far  as  his  public 
acts  or  declarations  go,  he  has  been  perfectly  consistent.  He  has 
not  only  exhibited  marvelous  strength  and  self-control  in  submitting 
in  silence  to  injuries,  insults  and  misrepresentations,  but  he  has 
uniformly  adhered  to  his  principles.  Even  in  his  letter  advocating 
Judge  Woodward's  election,  which  was  a  great  blunder,  he  said 
nothing  which  President  Lincoln  had  not  said  over  and  over  again. 
Into  the  blunder  of  writing  that  letter  he  was  led  not  only  by  the  im- 
portunity of  friends,  but  I  doubt  not  by  false  representations.  Wood- 
ward was  represented  to  him  as  holding  loyal  opinions,  which,  ac- 
cording to  common  belief  he  did  not  hold. 

(3).  His  letter  of  acceptance  is,  in  the  first  place,  consistent  with 
all  tis  antecedents,  with  his  noble  West  Point  oration,  and  with  all 
his  published  and  authorized  declarations.  And,  in  the  second  place, 
all  its  principles  and  statements  are  sound  and  good.  They  are 
identical,  as  to  the  necessity  of  the  Union,  the  justice  of  the  war,  the 
suppression  of  the  rebellion,  the  conditions  of  peace,  with  all  of  the 
declarations  of  Lincoln,  with  the  unanimous  vote  of  Congress,  and 
with  Secretary  Seward's  recent  masterly  speech  at  Auburn.  The 
only  exception  as  concerns  Lincoln  to  the  above  remark,  so  far  as  I 
know,  is  his  unfortunate  proclamation  of  six  lines,  "  To  whom  it  may 
concern,"  a  proclamation  which  makes  emancipation  an  indispensa- 


^ET.  63-67.]  THE  CIVIL   WAR.  48 1 

ble  condition  of  peace ;  a  proclamation  condemned  by  the  Evening 
Post,  the  Tribune  and  the  N.  Y.  Times \  the  three  most  influential 
republican  papers  in  the  country. 

(4).  In  saying  that  he  assumed  that  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the 
Convention  at  Chicago  were  consistent  with  the  sentiments  of  his 
letter,  he  did  not  act  disingenuously  !  It  is  notorious  that  the  Demo- 
cratic party  is  divided  into  unionists  and  disunionists,  Peace  and 
War  Democrats,  the  war  party  being  in  the  vast  majority  in  the 
country  and  in  the  Chicago  convention.  That  convention,  or  its 
managers,  for  the  sake  of  carrying  the  election  andvgetting  the  votes 
of  both  sections  of  the  Democrats  designedly  framed  a  compromise 
platform,  which,  as  the  Richmond  Enquirer  says,  and  says  truly,  may 
be  understood  either  in  a  war  sense  or  a  peace  sense.  McClellan 
knew  that  the  great  majority  intended  it  in  a  war  sense,  and  there- 
fore he  said  so  in  substance  in  his  letter  of  acceptance.  I  agree  with 
you  that  that  platform  is  mean,  contemptible  and  treacherous,  and 
had  McClellan  placed  himself  upon  it,  pure  and  simple,  without 
explanation,  he  would  have  sunk  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  and  staid 
there.  His  letter  I  conceive  has  done  the  country  as  much  good  as 
national  victory.  It  has  given  us  a  united  North.  It  has  placed  the 
Democratic  party  distinctly  on  the  ground  that  there  is  to  be  no  peace 
except  on  the  ground  of  Union.  The  insignificant  faction  of  peace, 
or  disunion  Democrats  has  separated  from  the  mass,  and  will  only 
serve  to  weaken  the  party  as  a  whole. 

While  I  think  thus  highly  of  McClellan,  I  have  no  intention  of 
voting  for  him.  I  agree  with  the  New  York  Times,  that  this  is  no 
question  of  the  relative  merits  of  candidates.  I  regard  Gen.  McClellan 
as  a  first-rate  Captain  in  a  very  bad  ship,  and  with  a  horridly  bad 
crew,  and  I  have  no  notion  of  going  to  sea  with  him.  I  wish  and 
pray  for  his  defeat,  because  I  do  not  wish  to  see  the  Democratic  party, 
which  has  brought  all  these  troubles  and  horrors  upon  us,  restored 
to  power. 

These  are  my  sentiments,  and  I  believe  them  to  be  the  sentiments 
of  our  best  men  and  women. 

The  morning  papers  contain  the  sad  intelligence  of  the  death  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Potts.  He  spent  a  week  with  us  at  the  end  of  June  and 
beginning  of  July,  and  I  little  thought  it  was  to  be  his  last  visit.  He 
has  been  for  thirty  years  a  director  of  the  Seminary  and  one  of  my 
intimate  friends.  I  feel  his  death  very  deeply.  I  expect  to  go  to 
New  York  on  Monday  to  attend  his  funeral. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

31 


482  THE  ASSASSINATION  OF  LINCOLN.  [1865. 


THE    ASSASSINATION    OF  LINCOLN. 

The  assassination  of  President  Lincoln,  like  an  earth- 
quake, convulsed  his  entire  nature  and  broke  up  his  deepest 
fountains  of  tears.  The  Rev.  J.  L.  Russell  contributed  the 
following  to  the  Presbyterian  in  April,  1 879. 

"  It  was  Saturday  morning.  Our  class  (the  Junior)  was 
to  recite  to  Prof.  Caspar  W.  Hodge,  in  New  Testament 
Literature.  The  news  of  the  horrible  deed  was  spreading 
like  wild-fire  when  the  class  assembled  at  nine  o'clock. 
As  Professor  Hodge  came  into  the  class-room  some  one 
whispered  the  evil  news  to  him,  and  after  a  short  prayer  he 
dismissed  us.  As  I  passed,  in  returning  to  my  room,  the 
old  Seminary  Hall,  Dr.  Hodge  stepped  out  on  the. stoop  at 
the  side-door  of  his  study,  and  called  to  me.  As  I  came 
near  he  said,  '  My  little  grandson  tells  me  that  something 
has  happened  to  President  Lincoln.'  I  told  him  the  facts 
of  the  case  as  reported.  With  quivering  lips,  and  a  face 
as  pallid  as  death,  he  said,  '  O,  it  cannot  be,  it  cannot  be ! ' 

"  Just  then  '  extras '  were  cried  on  the  street,  and  bringing 
one  to  him,  I  read  Secretary  Stanton's  dispatch.  Dr.  Hodge 
burst  into  a  flood  of  tears  and  cried  '  My  poor,  poor  country, 
what  will  become  of  thee  ! '  and  turning  as  one  stunned  and 
bewildered  by  a  sudden  stroke,  he  went  into  his  study 
weeping  as  he  went. 

"  About  an  hour  later  the  bell  rang,  and  the  professors 
and  students  of  the  Seminary  and  some  others  gathered  in 
the  Seminary.  Dr.  George  Junkin,  who  was  to  preach 
next  day  in  the  chapel,  was  present  and  made  one  of  his 
intense  soul-stirring  speeches.  Then  Dr.  Hodge  prayed, 
and  such  a  prayer.  Could  any  man  forget  it?  Not  the 
words,  for  we  could  not  always  follow  them.  The  petitions 
began  with  a  sob  and  ended  with  a  sob,  and  the  great 
heart  seemed  like  to  break  with  the  weight  that  was  upon  it. 

"  We  saw  the  old  time  struggle  at  the  ford  of  Jabbok  re- 
enacted  in  that  quiet  place,  where  we  were  wont  to  meet  for 


,ET.  67.]  THE  ASSASSINATION  OF  LINCOLN.  483 

prayer,  morning  and  evening,  and  one  whom  we  loved,  one 
as  mighty  in  soul,  and  purer  in  life  than  the  Patriarchal 
Prince,  wrestling  with  the  same  Angel  of  the  Covenant,  that 
he  might  learn  the  secret  of  God's  mysterious  dealing  with 
us,  and  wring  from  Him  the  promise  of  peace  for  this 
stricken  land. 

"  That  prayer  came  back  to  me  a  year  ago,  when  I  heard 
Dr.  Hod'ge  pray  for  the  first  time,  as  he  dismissed  the  class 
of  1878.  But  how  different!  Then  it  only  seemed  to  me 
that  he  turned  his  face  round  from  its  heavenward  onlook, 
that  its  light  might  fall  upon  us,  his  old  students,  in  a 
blessed  benediction  before  he  went  hence. 

"  Dr.  Hodge's  face  as  I  saw  it  in  the  recitation  room,  in 
the  oratory,  in  the  chapel,  and  his  voice  as  I  heard  it  in 
lectures,  in  those  matchless  conference  talks  and  in  sermons, 
I  love  to  recall  frequently ;  but  his  face  as  I  saw  it,  his 
voice  as  I  heard  it  that  day  we  wept  for  Lincoln,  come  to 
me  a  thousand  times  unbidden.  I  saw  deeper  into  his 
heart  that  day  than  ever  before  or  since." 

|In  the  July  number  of  the  Princeton  Review,  he  published 
an  article  on  President  Lincoln,  which  was  a  warm  eulogy 
on  his  character  and  services,  and  a  sincere  lament  for  his 
death. 

F  When  Mr.  Lincoln  died  the  nation  felt  herself  widowed. 
She  rent  her  garments,  she  sat  in  the  dust,  put  ashes  on  her 
head,  and  refused  to  be  comfortedTj  Never  in  our  history, 
seldom  if  ever  in  the  history  of  the  world,  has  the  heart  of 
a  great  people  been  so  moved  as  when,  on  the  I5th  of 
April  last,  the  intelligence  flashed  over  the  country  that 
our  President  had  been  murdered.  It  was  not  merely  sorrow 
for  the  loss  of  a  great  man  when  most  needed,  or  of  one 
who  had  rendered  his  country  inestimable  service,  but  grief 
for  a  man  whom  every  one  personally  loved.  It  was  this 
that  gave  its  peculiar  character  to  that  day  of  lamentation. 
Still  more  remarkable  in  the  annals  of  the  country  and  of 
the  world  was  the  ipth  of  April — the  day  of  the  President's 


484  RECONSTRUCTION.  [1865. 

funeral.  At  12  o'clock,  noon,  of  that  memorable  day,  the 
whole  country  was  draped  in  mourning ;  our  palaces  and 
cottages,  our  public  buildings  and  private  residences,  our 
cities  and  villages,  and  isolated  dwellings.  Wealth  veiled 
herself  in  crape,  and  poverty  sought  some  symbol  of  sor- 
row, however  insignificant.  All  our  churches  at  that  hour 
were  filled  with  weeping  worshipers.  Millions  of  people 
were  on  their  knees  before  God.  The  sun  never  shone  on 
such  a  spectacle.  Where,  moreover,  can  history  point  to  a 
funeral  progress  of  fifteen  hundred  miles  through  countless 
myriads  of  uncovered  mourners  ?  The  fact  cannot  be  re- 
called. It  was  truly  said  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dix,  of  New 
York,  'Abraham  Lincoln  has  been  canonized  and  immor- 
talized by  the  blow  of  an  assassin.'  No  effect  is  without 
an  adequate  cause.  Such  an  unparalleled  movement  of  the 
heart  of  this  great  people ;  such  an  answering  cry  of  indig- 
nation and  sorrow  from  foreign  and  even  unfriendly  nations, 
prove  beyond  contradiction  that  Abraham  Lincoln  deserved 
to  be  reverenced,  loved  and  lamented,  as  few  rulers  of  men 
have  ever  merited  the  confidence  and  love  of  their  fellow- 
men." 

Dr.  Hodge  took  that  occasion  to  plead  the  humanity  and 
sagacious  magnanimity  of  Lincoln  against  the  natural  but 
blindly  passionate  cry  for  the  judicial  punishment  of  rebels 
which  prevailed  in  that  dark  day  of  national  sorrow  and 
anger. 

CORRESPONDENCE   WITH    HIS   BROTHER. 

DR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Dec.  25,  1865. 

My  Dear  Brother: — *  *  *  I  trust  the  Radicals  will  not  force  us 
into  a  war  either  with  England  or  Mexico.  How  wonderfully  God 
has  controlled  and  guided  President  Johnson.  He  has  acted  with 
consummate  wisdom,  and  I  think  his  annual  message  one  of  the 
best  I  ever  read.  Pennsylvania  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  such  a  rep- 
resentative as  Thaddeus  Stevens. 


JET.  68.]  RECONSTRUCTION.  485 

DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS   BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Feb.  26,  1866. 

My  Dear  Brother: — I  feel  with  you  great  anxiety  about  our  public 
affairs.  I  think  the  President's  (Johnson's)  veto  message  con- 
clusive, and  that  he  ought  to  be  sustained.  I  cannot  understand  the 
course  of  such  men  as  Fessenden  and  Trumbull,  whom  I  have  been 
accustomed  to  regard  as  wise  and  moderate.  Governor  Olden  and 
our  ex-Congressman  Mr.  Nixon,  have  both  said  to  me  that  four-fifths 
of  the  party  are  with  Johnson  and  against  Congress.  I  fear  some- 
times that  this  may  not  turn  out  to  be  the  case.  The  President's 
stump  speech  on  the  22d,  although  undignified  in  some  things,  was  a 
very  strong  one  and  will  tell  on  the  people.  Mr.  Seward's  speech, 
the  same  night,  at  the  Cooper  Institute,  I  think  was  excellent. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  July  27,  1866. 

My  Dear  Brother: — I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  and  sister  Margaret 
are  enjoying  yourselves  so  much  in  the  delightful  regions  of  the 
North  River.  The  heat,  I  hope,  has  spared  you.  To  us  it  has  been 
very  oppressive.  For  three  days  we  took  refuge  in  the  Seminary, 
which,  being  a  large  stone  building,  and  shut  up  for  some  months, 
•we  found  comparatively  cool. 

The  Princeton  Review  is  at  last  out.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  will 
satisfy  either  party.  It  sides  with  neither,  but  takes  its  own  middle 
course,  commonly  the  most  unpopular,  although  the  safest/  I  sel- 
dom see  the  N.  Y.  Herald,  but  its  number  for  the  26th  was  terribly 
severe  on  Congress,  and  I  believe  for  the  most  part  justly.  Any  body 
led  by  Thaddeus  Stevens  must  be  led  to  evil. 

The  triumphant  progress  of  the  Prussians  strikes  me  as  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  events  of  modern  times.  I  do  not  believe  the 
needle-gun  had  much  to  do  with  it.  I  know  not  which  party  has  the 
right  of  it.  But  Prussia  and  Italy  represent  the  Protestant  interest, 
and  Austria  the  Papal.  Our  sympathies  are,  therefore,  with  the 
Prussians.  Great  things  will  probably  flow  from  this  change  in  the 
dominant  influence  in  Germany.  Love  to  sister  Margaret. 
Your  affectionate  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS    BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  Oct.  3,  1866. 

My  Dear  Brother: — *  *  *  I  am  sad  about  the  country.  A  dis- 
tinguished Southerner,  some  time  since,  said  the  safety  of  the  coun- 


486  RECONSTRUCTION.  [1867-68. 

try  depended  upon  the  Democratic  party.  If  they  had  patriotism 
enough  to  keep  in  the  back-ground,  asking  nothing  for  themselves 
or  their  party,  but  striving  to  sustain  the  moderate  and  conservative 
element  in  the  Republican  party,  all  would  be  well.  But  if  they 
strove  to  make  party  capital  out  of  the  dissensions  of  their  oppo- 
nents, and  to  get  the  government  into  their  own  hands,  the  result 
would  be  only  evil.  This  latter  course  the  Democrats  have  taken. 
They  force  everybody  to  go  with  the  Radicals  or  to  turn  Democrats, 
and  give  the  power  of  the  country  into  the  hands  of  a  party  which, 
during  the  war,  was  to  a  large  extent  disloyal.  This,  I  hope,  will 
not  be  done.  If  I  were  in  Pennsylvania  nothing  would  induce  me 
to  vote  for  such  a  man  as  Clymer. 

If  the  Republicans  would  be  content  with  the  constitutional  amend- 
ments, I  suppose  the  country  will  go  with  them.  But  the  speeches 
of  Stevens,  Wade,  Sumner,  Wilson,  and  the  declarations  of  the  lead- 
ing papers,  show  that  the  adoption  of  the  amendments  is,  as  Sumner 
says,  only  a  drop  in  the  bucket.  What  those  men  want  is  universal 
suffrage  and  the  disfranchisement  of  the  white  population  in  the 
South — giving  the  whole  power  to  the  negroes  and  a  few  hundred 
renegade  white  men  in  every  State.  [With  such  outrageously  wicked 
men  as  Butler  and  Stevens  to  be  their  representatives  and  mouth- 
pieces, I  do  not  see  what  any  party  can  expect.  My  hope  is  that 
the  Copperhead  Democrats  and  the  Radical  Republicans  may  both 
be  consigned  to  political  extinction,  and  all  their  leading  men  sent 
to  Coventry.  1  Your  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

WASHINGTON,  May  12,  1868. 

My  Dear  Brother: — *  *  *  Most  persons  whom  I  meet  regard 
the  impeachment  as  altogether  a  party  affair,  and  that  judicially,  or 
on  the  grounds  of  legal  justice,  there  is  no  sufficient  evidence  to  con- 
vict the  President. 

DR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  December  20,  1867. 

My  Dear  Brother: — Should  I  live  another  week  I  shall  be  seventy 
years  old.  You  have  already  passed  that  boundary.  When  we  look 
back  over  this  long  period,  how  much  cause  for  gratitude  meets  our 
view.  iWhat  a  Mother  we  had  to  watch  over  our  infancy  and  train 
our  youth,  and  secure  for  us,  at  such  sacrifice  to  herself,  a  liberal  ed- 
ucationr)  God  has  preserved  us  from  wasting  or  disabling  sickness. 


JET.  70.  ]  SE  VENTIE  TH  BIR  THDA  Y.  487 

He  has  granted  us  a  good  measure  of  professional  success  and  use- 
fulness. We  have  children  who  are  our  joy  and  delight;  all  of  them 
the  professed  and  consistent  disciples  of  our  blessed  Lord ;  all  prom- 
ising to  be  useful  in  their  several  vocations.  Their  mothers,  after 
having  been  spared  to  us  for  many  years,  as  inestimable  blessings, 
are  now  safe  in  heaven.  And  we  are  still  blessed  with  health  and 
the  use  of  all  our  faculties,  surrounded  and  sustained  by  those  who 
look  upon  us  with  respect  and  love.  Above  all,  God  has  given  us  a 
good  hope  through  grace  of  eternal  life  beyond  the  grave.  Who  of 
all  our  acquaintance  can  recount  such  a  catalogue  of  blessings  ? 
Such  thoughts,  my  dear  brother,  I  am  sure,  fill  your  mind  at  this 
season  of  the  year ;  a  season  connected  with  the  commeinoration  of 
our  Saviour's  birth,  the  source  of  all  good,  and  with  the  beatifica- 
tion of  those  we  have  so  much  reason  to  love. 

We  ourselves  have  nearly  finished  our  course,  and  should  strive  to 
have  our  hearts  filled  with  gratitude  for  the  good  in  the  past,  and 
with  joyful  anticipation  of  blessedness  in  the  future.  Life  for  us  is 
substantially  over,  and  we  have  little  to  expect  beyond  the  present, 
so  far  as  this  world  is  concerned.  Our  last  days,  however,  may  be 
our  best,  if  we  are  only  filled  with  the  assurance  of  God's  love,  and 
with  devotion  to  his  service  and  submission  to  his  will.  *  *  * 

With  much  love  and  constant  remembrance, 

Your  brother, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.  HODGE  TO  HIS  BROTHER, 

PRINCETON,  April  19,  1869. 

My  Dear  Brother:— -*    *    *    *    *    *. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  think  Grant's  administration  still  prom- 
ises well.  I  do  not.  I  am  greatly  disappointed.  He  promised  to 
turn  out  no  faithful,  efficient  officer,  and  to  appoint  no  unworthy  men 
for  political  reasons.  He  has  not  been  able  to  keep  either  promise. 
He  seems  to  have  succumbed  entirely  to  the  politicians.  He  has 
swept  the  board,  making  some  1200  appointments  in  a  few  weeks, 
and  displacing  some  of  the  very  best  officers  of  the  revenue.  Think 
of  the  appointment  of  such  men  as  Ashley  !  proved  to  be  guilty  by 
his  own  confession  of  official  corruption,  to  say  nothing  of  his  polit- 
ical course  in  Congress,  which  led  to  his  rejection  by  his  political 
party.  The  TV7".  Y.  Times,  so  uniform  and  devoted  in  its  support  of 
Grant,  says  it  is  clear  that  our  hope  of  the  promised  reform  must  be 
indefinitely  postponed.  I  am  afraid  this  is  true.  What  can  be  done 
with  a  Senate  that  refused  to  ratify  a  nomination  because  the  nomi- 
nee was  offensive  to  a  Senator,  and  that  by  a  vote  of  38  to  8  ?  We 


488  CORRESPONDENCE.  [1869. 

are  in  a  sad  way.     This  is  a  good  deal  for  me  to  say,  for  I  am  gen- 
erally an  optimist. 
*    *    *    Mary  sends  love,  and  I  join,  of  course. 

Your  brother,  CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    HIS   BROTHER. 

PRINCETON,  October  4th,  1869. 

My  Dear  Brother  : — When  I  wrote  to  you  that  I  had  a  cold,  sore 
throat,  pain  in  the  chest,  and  a  boil,  you  said  you  were  sorry  for  the 
former,  but  intimated  that  you  did  not  care  much  about  the  last. 
That  anthrax  malitiosissimus,  ferocissimus,  execrabilissimus,  how- 
ever, has  kept  me  awake  night  after  night,  and  tormented  me  day 
after  day.  That  you  call  nothing  !  I  presume  the  anthrax  to  be  the 
opprobrium  medicorum.  Shame  on  them  !  What  could  ever  have 
put  it  into  the  head  of  Job  to  scrape  himself  with  a  potsherd  when 
his  body  was  covered  with  boils  is  more  than  I  can  understand.  I 
could  not  touch  mine  with  a  feather.  The  old  patriarch  must  have 
been  in  a  desperate  state  of  mind. 

I  do  not  believe  that  mine  is  a  common  boil.  Dr.  Schank  has  seen 
it  frequently,  and  said  he  will  not  call  it  names,  but  that  it  is  not 
going  to  be  any  worse,  and  will  not  be  much  better  for  some  days. 
I  go  about  as  usual,  and  hope  to  be  able  to  attend  Presbytery  9  miles 
from  here  to-morrow. 

If  as  a  doctor  you  think  there  is  anything  actionable  in  this  letter, 
I  shall  be  on  hand  prepared  to  put  in  a  justification.     ****** 
Your  brother,  CHARLES  HODGE. 

The  following  letter  to  his  friend  and  former  pupil,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Robert  Watts,  Professor  of  Theology  in  the  Pres- 
byterian College  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  is  a  good  specimen  of 
a  large  part  of  his  immense  correspondence,  with  pupils 
and  friends  in  all  countries,  in  answer  to  questions  relating 
to  every  department  of  the  faith  and  work  of  the  Church  : 

DR.    HODGE   TO   DR.    WATTS. 

PRINCETON,  October  $th,  1865, 

My  Dear  Sir  : — Wistar  has  handed  me  your  letter  relating  to  the 
question  raised  among  your  brethren  concerning  the  Witness  of  the 
Spirit.  As  you  request  an  immediate  answer,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
do  more  than  state  in  a  few  words  the  view  which  I  have  been  led 
to  take  on  the  subject,  without  any  attempt  to  sustain  that  view 
either  historically  or  exegetically.  I  write  for  you  alone,  as  I  have 


AST.  67.]  "  THE  WITNESS  OF  THE  SPIRITS  489 

no  idea  that  anything  I  say  will  be  worthy  of  the  attention  of  your 
Committee. 

We  must,  of  course,  renounce  all  hope  to  understand  the  mode  of 
the  divine  operation  either  in  nature  or  in  grace  ;  as  we  have  no  idea 
how  mind  operates  on  matter,  or  matter  on  mind,  we  cannot  under- 
stand how  God  produces  the  effects  which  in  the  Scriptures  are  at- 
tributed to  his  agency.  The  fact  is  all  we  can  expect  to  know. 

1 .  It  seems  to  be  plainly  taught  in  the  Bible,  and  to  be  the  com- 
monly received  doctrine,  that  in  the  external  world  God  operates 
constantly  through,  with,  and  without  second  causes.     Whatever  in 
the  external  world,  as  in  plants  and  animals,  is  indicative  of  design  is 
to  be  referred  to  the  present  agency  of  mind,  i.  e.,  to  God.     Matter  can- 
not produce  life,   much  less  an  immaterial,  intelligent  substance. 
Such  substances,  however,  are  constantly  produced  under  the  provi- 
dential agency  of  God.     The  human  soul  operates  in  like  manner 
through,  with  and  independently  of  the  functions  of  the  body.     Every 
time  we  speak  or  write,  this  threefold  mode  of  exercise  is  evinced. 

2.  It  is  no  less  plain  from  Scripture  and  universally  believed  in  the 
Church  that  the  Spirit  of  God  operates  immediately  on  the  soul.     In 
the  regeneration  of  infants  this  must  be  assumed. 

3.  It  seems  also  clear  that  in  the  dealings  of  the  Spirit  with  the 
souls  of  believers  there  is  a  constant  exercise  of  His  power  in  connec- 
tion with  and  independent  of  the  truth.     We  know  not  how  one 
spirit  operates  on  another ;  how  evil  spirits  controlled  the  thoughts 
and  feelings  of  the  demoniacs,  and  of  course  we  cannot  pretend  to 
know  how  the  Holy  Spirit  controls  the  action  of  our  minds,  how  He 
excites  our  affections  or  gives  the  truth  a  greater  power  over  them  at 
one  time  than  at  another.  But  He  is  more  immediately  present  with  our 
souls  than  the  soul  is  with  the  body,  and  constantly  controls  them  in 
a  way  consistent  with  the  nature  of  mind  and  the  laws  of  spiritual 
intercourse. 

4.  We  are  clearly  taught  that  saving  faith  rests  on  the  witness  of 
the  Spirit  by  and  with  the  truth.     This  is  represented  in  Scripture  as 
something  different  from  the  evidence  which  the  word  itself  contains 
of  its  own  truth.     It  is  "  an  unction  from  the  Holy  One."     It  is  "  the 
demonstration  of  the  Spirit."     The  Spirit  produces  in  our  minds  the 
infallible  conviction  that  the  Bible  is  true.     This  conviction  is  not 
the  product  of  a  process  of  reasoning,  nor  a  conclusion  from  the. 
facts  of  our  own  consciousness.     If  it  were  it  would  not  be  infallible, 
and  our  faith  after  all  would  rest  in  something  human  and  not  in  the 
power  of  God. 

5.  In  like  manner  the  Spirit  witnesses  to  the  believer  that  he  is  a 
child  of  God.     The  assurance  of  his  adoption  the  Apostle  refers  to 


49O  "  THE   WITNESS  OF  THE  SPIRIT?  [1865. 

two  sources ;  first,  the  conscious  filial  exercises  of  the  soul  towards  God, 
and,  secondly,  the  witness  of  the  Spirit,  who  bears  witness  together 
(avfj-fjiapTvpli]  with  our  spirits  that  we  are  the  sons  of  God.  Although 
compound  words  are  frequently  used  in  the  same  sense  with  the  sim- 
ple forms,  this  is  only  to  be  assumed  under  the  stress  of  the  context. 
When  the  context  admits  of  the  full  and  proper  force  of  the  word  it 
should  be  retained ;  much  more  when  that  force  is  required  by  the 
connection.  The  passage  simply  teaches  that  the  Spirit  produces  in 
the  mind  of  a  believer  the  assurance  of  his  adoption  :  as  in  Rom. 
5:5,  He  is  said  to  produce  the  assurance  that  we  are  the  objects 
of  God's  love. 

There  is  no  real  ground  for  the  charge  of  enthusiasm  or  fanati- 
cism against  this  view  of  the  subject,  (i).  Because  it  attributes  to 
the  Spirit  nothing  out  of  analogy  with  the  constant  operations  of  God 
in  the  external  world  and  on  the  minds  of  men  in  his  providence. 
(2).  Because  it  is  consistent  with  the  constant  representations  of 
the  Scriptures  relating  to  the  intercourse  of  the  soul  with  God. 
We  not  only  address  Him  and  reveal  or  rather  express  to  Him  our 
thoughts  and  feelings,  but  He  manifests  Himself  to  us.  We  not  only 
aver  our  love  to  Him,  but  He  also  reveals  His  love  to  us.  The  soul 
of  the  believer  lives,  or  should  live,  in  constant  fellowship  or  inter- 
course with  the  Father  of  our  spirits.  He  is  at  no  loss  for  means  and 
modes  of  communiating  with  his  children. 

(3).  When  our  Confession  attributes  saving  faith  to  the  witness  of 
God  not  only  by  or  through  but  with  the  truth,  it  does  not  teach  that 
God  makes  any  new  revelations.  The  word  is  true.  It  declares  itself 
objectively  to  the  reason,  the  conscience,  and  the  affections  to  be 
true,  and  God  by  His  Spirit  affirms  it  to  be  true.  There  is  no  new 
revelation  there.  Neither  is  there  in  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  to  the 
believer's  adoption.  He  is  a  child  of  God.  He  has  all  the  filial 
affections  of  a  child.  The  Spirit  produces  assurance  that  what  is  true 
is  true.  The  soul  is  not  left  to  deductions  from  its  own  imperfectly 
understood  or  partially  interpreted  consciousness.  God  gives  it  a 
peace  which  passes  understanding. 

The  fanatics  at  the  Reformation  and  in  all  times  have  abused  the 
doctrine  of  the  inward  teaching  of  the  Spirit.  So  they  abuse  the  doc- 
trine that  He  witnesses  to  the  adoption  of  believers.  But  in  neither 
case  have  they  any  just  reason  for  their  perversions.  And  the  Re- 
formers as  you  know  gave  up  their  doctrines  on  neither  point  from 
fear  that  the  truth  would  be  abused. 

I  fear  these  few  remarks  will  not  be  of  much  service  to  you,  but  I 
am  not  able  to  write  more. 

Your  friend,  very  truly,  CHARLES  HODGE. 


JET.  63-67.]  THE  CHURCH  AND  POLITICAL  QUESTIONS.  491 
THE    RELATION    OF   THE    CHURCH 

TO  POLITICAL  QUESTIONS  AND  THE  MERITS  OF  THE  ACTUAL  DECISIONS 

OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY  (o.  S.)  ON  QUESTIONS 

GROWING  OUT  OF  THE  WAR. 

It  was  inevitable  that  the  Churches  and  ministers,  both 
North  and  South,  should  be  violently  agitated  by  the 
passions  which  caused  and  sprang  out  of  the  tremendous 
political  and  military  conflict  between  the  hostile  sections 
of  the  country.  This  excitement  would  also  necessarily 
find  expression  alike  in  the  writings  and  speeches  of  indi- 
vidual ministers  and  in  the  action  of  Church  courts.  Under 
these  circumstances  there  came  into  existence  also  diver- 
sity of  sentiment  as  to  questions  of  principle  and  policy, 
and  hence  parties  were  formed  within  the  Church,  and 
violent  struggles  for  predominance  for  a  time  disturbed  her 
peace  and  dishonored  her  dignity.  Some  action  by  our 
Church  courts,  under  such  circumstances,  was  necessary  and 
wise,  in  accordance  with  all  ecclesiastical  precedent  in  the 
past,  as  well  as  with  the  obvious  duty  of  the  hour.  There 
can,  on  the  other  hand,  be  no  question  that  the  character  of 
much  of  the  actual  deliverances  of  our  Church  courts  at 
that  time,  was  determined  by  the  political  passions  and 
prejudices  existing  in  the  bosoms  of  ministers  and  elders, 
and  often  by  the  pressure  arising  from  the  clamor  and 
threats  of  the  general  populace  without. 

It  was  under  circumstances  such  as  these,  when  the 
political  newspapers  and  mob  in  Philadelphia  threatened  the 
minority  of  the  General  Assembly,  in  May,  1 86 1,  and  when 
many  members  confessed  that  if  they  should  vote  according 
to  their  convictions  they  would  be  afraid  to  return  to  their 
constituents,  that  the  conduct  of  Dr.  Hodge  appears  to 
his  friends  the  most  noble.  He  had  unequivocally  taken 
the  side  of  the  Country,  and  from  the  first  advocated  the 
war  for  the  Union.  But  when  many,  who  had  at  the 
beginning  sympathized  with  secession,  or  at  least  favored 
unworthy  compromises,  had  become  extreme  radicals,  and 


492      THE  CHURCH  AND  POLITICAL  QUESTIONS.  [1861-67. 

while  the  newspapers  and  other  organs  of  public  opinion 
severely  denounced  all  dissent  from  the  policy  and  spirit 
of  the  majority,  he,  for  six  years,  without  either  fear  or 
anger  and  with  singular  sagacity,  sided  with  no  party, 
maintained  the  attitude  of  an  independent  and  incorruptible 
judge,  criticised  or  commended  the  action  of  the  Assembly, 
and  laid  down  with  clearness  and  force  the  principles  which 
were  involved  in  the  burning  questions,  and  the  confused 
contentions  of  the  hour. 

He  objected,  as  did  also  the  Rev.  Robert  J.  Breckinridge, 
D.D.,  in  a  paper  presented  by  him  and  passed  by  the  Synod 
of  Kentucky  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  to  the  passage  of 
the  Spring  resolutions  of  the  General  Assembly  in  May, 

1 86 1,  which  decided  in  behalf  of  the   Presbyterians  of  all 
the  States,  even  of  those  already  subject  to  the  de facto 
government  of  the  Confederacy,  the  political  question  as  to 
whether  their  supreme  allegiance  was  due  to  the  States  or 
to  the  Federal   Government,   and    made    consent  to   that 
decision  a  term  of  communion  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  admitted  all  the  principles  involved  in  the  paper  of  Dr. 
R.  J.  Breckinridge,  passed  by  the   General   Assembly  of 

1862,  but  lamented  the  passage  on  the  ground  of  Christian 
expediency,  and  the  testimony  of  eminently  wise  and  loyal 
brethren  from  the  Border  States,  that  its  passage  at  that 
time  would  only  tend  to  distract  the  Churches  in  their  sec- 
tion, and  weaken  the  hands   of  loyal  men.     Against  the 
action  of    the   Assembly   of    1865,  in    Pittsburgh,  whose 
members  came  Up  from  constituencies  lately  and  naturally 
maddened  by  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln,  he  pro- 
tested and  reasoned  with  all  his  force.    The  intention  of  the 
great  majority  of  that  assembly  was  to  brand  secession  as  an 
ecclesiastical  crime,  and  all  in  any  way  compromised  with  it, 
as  ecclesiastical  sinners,  and  to  make  repentance  and  open 
confession  the  condition  of  the  re-admission  of  all  such 
sinners  to  the  communion  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

It  is  well  known  that  these  "  Pittsburgh  orders,"  as  they 


-ST.  63-69.]  THE  CHURCH  AND  POLITICAL  QUESTIONS.  493 

were  called,  remained  a  dead  letter  from  the  first,  and  were 
never  enforced  in  the  manner  designed  by  their  advocates 
in  a  single  instance.  It  is  also  well  known  that  they  alone 
caused  the  action  of  the  "  Declaration  and  Testimony  "  men 
of  that  autumn,  and  consequently  the  high-handed  action 
of  repression  of  the  General  Assemblies  of  1866  and  7. 
They  took  off  from  the  Northern  Presbyterian  Church  the 
majority  of  the  Presbyterians  of  the  Border  States,  and  they 
constitute  the  principal  grievance  in  the  sight  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  which  perpetu- 
ates and  threatens  to  perpetuate  indefinitely  the  unseemly 
divisions  and  jealousies,  which  so  many  good  men  have 
earnestly  yet  ineffectually  labored  to  allay. 

In  this  regard  Dr.  Ward  of  the  Independent  is  certainly  an 
impartial  and  competent  witness.  In  an  editorial  on  April 
nth,  1872,  he  writes:  "In  May,  1861,  when  the  General 
Assembly  adopted  the  '  Spring  resolutions/  introduced  by 
the  venerable  Dr.  Spring  of  this  city,  in  favor  of  sustaining 
the  government  against  the  rebellion,  Dr.  Hodge  led  in  a 
protest,  on  the  ground  that  the  Assembly  assumed  a  posi- 
tion not  warranted  as  an  ecclesiastical  body ;  but  it  is  well 
known  that  from  1861  to  the  close  of  the  war,  no  publica- 
tion in  the  country,  secular  or  religious,  spoke  out  more 
boldly  than  did  the  Princeton  Review,  against  the  rebellion, 
and  slavery  as  its  cause,  and  none  sustained  the  govern- 
ment more  vigorously  and  heartily  in  all  its  measures  to 
maintain  itself  and  save  the  Union.  The  successive  articles 
on  these  subjects  are  well  known  to  come  from  the  pen  of 
Dr.  Hodge,  and  their  tenor  and  influence  were  highly  ap- 
preciated at  the  seat  of  government.  When  the  war  was 
over,  the  Old-School  Assembly,  meeting  at  Pittsburgh  in 
May,  1865,  adopted  by  a  very  large  majority  what  were 
deemed  by  many,  extreme  measures  of  ecclesiastical  recon- 
struction bearing  upon  ministers  and  churches  at  the  South. 
Dr.  Hodge  was  not  a  member  of  the  body,  but  on  review- 
ing these  proceedings,  he  dissented  from  much  of  this 


494      7HE  CHURCH  AND  POLITICAL  QUESTIONS.  [1861-67. 

action.  Whatever  may  have  been  thought  of  their  ex- 
pediency at  the  time,  these  '  Pittsburgh  Orders/  as  they 
have  been  termed,  were  never  practically  carried  out,  but 
have  remained  a  dead  letter  ever  since ;  and  now  as  we 
look  over  our  religious  exchanges  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  there  seems  to  be  but  one  sentiment  at  the  North 
on  this  subject,  and  that  is  in  favor  of  uniting  with  the 
Presbyterians  of  the  South  on  equal  terms  without  any 
questions  being  raised  growing  out  of  the  rebellion." 

The  principles  for  which  Dr.  Hodge  contended  were  the 
following : 

I.  That  "  Church  courts  are  of  divine  appointment.  The 
constitution  is  not  a  grant  of  powers,  but  an  agreement  be- 
tween different  Presbyteries  and  other  church  courts,  as  to 
the  manner  in  which  its  inherent  authority  as  a  court  of 
Christ  shall  be  exercised.  They  have  entered  into  various 
agreements  by  which  they  are  united  in  the  exercise  of  the 
powers  derived  from  Christ.  The  same  remark  applies 
equally  to  our  synods  and  general  assemblies.  The  first 
General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  met  before 
there  was  any  formal  written  constitution  of  the  Scotch 
Church,  but  it  met  with  all  the  powers  that  it  ever  subse- 
quently possessed. 

"  The  limits  assigned  to  the  power  of  church  courts  are 
determined  directly  or  indirectly  by  the  word  of  God.  As 
they  are  church  courts  their  authority  is  confined  to  the 
church.  It  does  not  extend  to  those  who  "  are  without." 
It  follows  also  from  the  same  premises  that  being  church 
courts  they  must  be  confined  in  their  jurisdiction  to  church 
matters.  They  can  only  expound  and  apply  the  word  of 
God  to  matters  of  truth  and  duty,  and  to  the  reforming  of 
abuses  or  to  the  discipline  of  offences. 

"As  the  Bible  commands  obedience  to  the  powers  that  be, 
it  is  clearly  within  the  province  of  the  church  to  enjoin  on 
all  her  members  obedience,  allegiance  and  loyalty.  .  .  But 
as  the  Bible  does  not  enable  any  man  to  decide  whether 


^ET.  63-69.]  THE  CHURCH  AND  POLITICAL  QUESTIONS.  495 

these  United  States  are  a  nation,  or  a  voluntary  confederacy 
of  nations,  the  church  has  no  voice  in  the  decision  of  that 
question.  Her  members  must  determine  it  for  themselves, 
and  on  their  own  responsibility.  It  was  upon  this  ground 
that  the  editor  of  this  Review,  with  many  others,  protested 
against  the  action  of  the  Assembly  of  1 86 1,  in  adopting  the 
Spring  resolutions.  In  those  resolutions  it  was  declared  the 
duty  of  Christians  in  the  seceding  states  to  support  the 
national  government.  If  the  Northern  (as  we  believe  the 
true  theory)  of  our  Constitution  be  correct  it  was  their  duty. 
If  the  Calhoun  (or  Southern)  theory  is  correct,  it  was  not 
their  duty.  This  is  purely  a  political  question,  for  the  de- 
cision of  which  the  word  of  God  gives  no  direction. 

"In  the  Assembly  of  1859,  it  was  urged  by  Dr.  Thorn- 
well  that  the  church  is  in  such  a  sense  a  spiritual  body, 
clothed  only  with  spiritual  powers  for  spiritual  ends,  that 
all  intermeddling  with  anything  not  directly  bearing  on  the 
spiritual  and  eternal  interests  of  men  was  foreign  to  its 
office  and  derogatory  to  its  dignity.  All  this  is  true,  but 
it  is  very  ambiguous.  If  by  spiritual  he  meant  what  relates 
to  the  spirit,  in  the  sense  of  moral  and  religious  nature  of 
man,  then  it  is  true  that  the  church  is  restricted  in  her 
action  to  what  is  purely  spiritual.  But  if  the  word  be  so 
restricted  as  to  confine  it  to  what  pertains  to  the  religious 
element  of  our  nature,  to  what  concerns  the  method  of 
salvation,  as  distinguished  from  the  law  of  God,  then  the 
above  principle  is  most  obviously  false.  It  contradicts  the 
great  principle,  universally  admitted  hitherto,  that  the 
church,  as  the  witness  of  God,  is  bound  to  bear  her  testi- 
mony against  all  sin  and  error,  and  in  favor  of  all  truth  and 
righteousness,  agreeably  to  the  Scriptures ;  that  is  guided 
by  the  word  of  God  in  her  judgments  and  declarations.  .  . 
The  Southern  advocates  of  the  new  theory  found  it  impossi- 
ble to  adhere  to  it.  We  find  Dr.  Thornwell  preaching  from 
the  sacred  desk  elaborate  sermons  on  slavery,  and  writing 
articles  in  religious  journals  on  the  state  of  the  country. 


496      THE  CHURCH  AND  POLITICAL  QUESTIONS.  [1861-67. 

Church  papers  were  filled  week  after  week  with  articles 
vindicating  Southern  principles,  and  synods  pledged  them- 
-selves  to  the  support  of  the  new  confederacy.  We  do  not 
blame  these  brethren  for  violating  a  false  principle,  and  dis- 
regarding their  own  erroneous  theory,  but  we  protest 
against  their  condemning  in  others  what  they  justify  in 
themselves. 

II.  "  What  is  the  authority  due  to  the  deliverances  of  our 
ecclesiastical    judicatories?     ist.  They   are   not    infallible. 
'  All  synods  or  councils/  says  our  Confession,  '  since  the 
Apostles'  times,  whether  general  or  particular,  may  err,  and 
many  have  erred ;  therefore  they  are  not  to  be  made  the 
rule  of  faith  or  practice,  but  to  be  used  as  a  help  to  both.' 
If  not  a  rule  of  faith  or  practice,  acquiescence  in  their  de- 
liverances cannot  be  made  a  term  either  of  Christian  or  of 
ministerial  communion.    Acquiescence  in  their  deliverances 
being  a  very  different  thing  from  submission  to  their  judi- 
cial decisions. 

"  2d.  If  they  are  not  infallible  there  must  be  a  judge  of 
their  correctness,  and  a  standard  by  which  judgment  is  to 
be  formed.  The  judge  is  every  man  who  chooses  to  exer- 
cise the  privilege.  The  standard  of  judgment  is  of  course 
the  word  of  God.  The  censures  which  have  been  heaped 
upon  this  Review  for  the  expression  of  its  dissent  from  cer- 
tain acts  of  the  Assembly,  as  an  act  of  presumption  un- 
becoming in  the  members  and  servants  of  the  Church,  are 
to  say  the  least  undeserved. 

"3.  It  follows  from  what  has  been  said  that  the  deliver- 
ances of  ecclesiastical  courts,  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest, 
cease  to  have  any  binding  force,  first,  when  they  transcend 
the  sphere  of  the  legitimate  action  of  the  Church ;  second, 
when  they  contravene  the  compact  contained  in  our  Consti- 
tution ;  third j  when  they  violate  any  principle  revealed  in 
the  word  of  God." 

III.  As  to  the  relation  of  the  Northern  and  Southern 
Churches  he  argued,  "  I.  That  it  is    Christ's  will  that  his 


MT.  63-69.]  NORTHERN  AND  SOUTHERN  CHURCHES.       497 

people  should  be  one,  and  that  it  is  the  duty  of  all  those 
who  agree  in  matters  of  faith  and  order,  and  are  so  situated 
that  they  may  act  together,  to  be  united  in  one  organic 
body.  All  who  are  willing  to  unite  with  us  on  the  terms  of 
the  cordial  adoption  of  the  standards  of  doctrine  and  order, 
we  are  bound  to  welcome  with  the  right  hand  of  fellowship. 
2.  That  there  are  reasons  which  render  the  union  of  Presby- 
terians North  and  South,  East  and  West  imperative  at  the 
present  day.  Other  bodies  of  Christians,  as  the  Romanists 
and  Episcopalians,  are  united  and  compact.  These  two 
Churches  bid  fair  to  be  the  only  two  national  Churches  in 
the  land.  Shall  we  remain  divided  ?  Must  we  forfeit  our 
national  character  ?  3.  Considerations  of  patriotism  are  as 
urgent  as  those  drawn  from  the  interests  of  the  Church. 
The  great  aim  of  the  National  Goverment,  and  the  great 
aim  of  all  good  citizens  is  the  reconstruction  of  the  Union. 
We  hear  on  almost  every  side  the  utterance  of  the  self-evi- 
dent truth  that 'conciliation  is  essential  to  reconstruction.' 
The  reunion  of  the  Northern  and  Southern  Churches  is 
almost  indispensable  to  this  conciliation.  The  New  York 
Times,  the  most  influential  Republican  paper,  the  great 
advocate  of  the  war  (Sept.  29,  1865),  says  the  action  of  the 
Assemblies  of  Presbyterians  and  Convention  of  Congrega- 
tionalists  months  ago  was  not  conciliatory.  It  commends 
in  strong  terms  the  amicable  spirit  of  the  late  Episcopal 
Convention  in  New  York." 

In  his  review  of  the  action  of  the  General  Assembly,  July, 
1865,  he  argued  against  the  demand  that  repentance  and 
confession  must  be  exacted  of  our  Southern  brethren  as  the 
'  condition  of  readmission  to  communion,  "  (i.)  That  such  a 
deliverance  of  the  General  Assembly  could  bind  no  man's 
conscience  and  have  no  legal  force.  (2.)  That  secession 
was  not  an  ecclesiastical  sin.  That,  as  all  admit,  revolution 
and  rebellion  are  right  on  certain  occasions,  and  no  church 
has  a  right  to  decide  upon  those  conditions.  (3.)  That 
such  action  was  unprecedented,  and  (4.)  It  was  unequal. 
32 


498  CASE  OF  DR.  ATPHEETERS.  [1864. 

Thousands  of  people  at  the  North  sympathized  with  the 
South,  and  in  many  ways  gave  aid  and  comfort  to  the  rebels. 
No  one  calls  for  arraigning  them  before  our  church  courts. 
It  is  plain  that  a  principle  that  cannot  be  carried  out  is  false  ; 
and  that  those  who  are  strenuous  in  enforcing  it  in  the  one 
case,  while  they  refuse  to  enforce  it  in  another,  are  either 
mentally  bewildered  or  insincere." 

* 

THE  CASE  OF  DR.  SAMUEL  B.  M'PHEETERS. 

He  at  great  length  and  with  great  earnestness  protested 
against  the  action  ofthe  General  Assembly  at  Newark  in  1 864, 
in  dismissing  the  complaint  of  that  noble  gentleman  and 
Christ-like  clergyman,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  B.  MTheeters, 
against  the  body  assuming  to  be  the  Presbytery  of  St. 
Louis.  "  Less  than  one-fifth  of  that  Presbytery,  knowing 
that  the  majority  would  not  attend,  came  together  the  3d  of 
June  to  dissolve  the  pastoral  relation  between  the  Pine 
Street  Church  and  the  Rev.  S.  B.  MTheeters,  D.  D.,  with- 
out being  requested  to  do  so  either  by  the  pastor  or  the 
Church,  and  against  the  known  wishes  and  judgment  of  the 
great  majority  of  the  Presbytery.  The  undeniable  facts  are 
these.  I.  He  was  a  man  universally  respected  and  beloved. 
2.  He  had  taken  and  faithfully  kept  a  stringent  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  Government.  3.  The  highest  authorities 
of  the  land,  the  President  and  the  Attorney-General,  pro- 
nounced themselves  so  satisfied  with  his  loyalty  that  they 
forbade  his  being  interfered  with  on  the  part  of  the  authori- 
ties, either  as  a  citizen  or  as  a  minister.  4.  Whatever  were 
his  private  feelings,  he  so  conducted  himself  and  so  per- 
formed his  ministerial  duties,  as  to  retain  the  affection  and 
confidence  of  the  community,  of  six  out  of  seven  of  the 
elders  of  his  church,  of  the  vast  majority  of  its  members  and 
attendants  ;  and  of  four-fifths  of  the  members  of  his  Presby- 
tery. That  such  a  man  should  be  dismissed  from  his 
church  and  forbidden  to  preach  in  its  pulpit,  by  a  mere 
fragment  of  the  Presbytery  to  which  he  belongs,  who  knew 


JET.  66.]  CASE  OF  DR.  M>  PHEETERS.  499 

him  and  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  seems  to  us  an 
injustice  which  has  few,  if  any,  parallels  in  the  history  of  our 
church/' 

There  can  be  no  doubt  now  that  this  action  was  not  only 
unrighteous,  but  that  it  was  also  a  great  mistake  for  the 
supporters  of  the  government,  and  of  the  true  theory  of 
the  relation  of  the  Church  to  the  moral  and  religious  rela- 
tions of  political  questions,  to  give  to  the  honest  advocates 
of  a  mistaken  view  their  martyr.  And  no  human  cause 
was  ever  crowned  by  one  purer  or  more  heroic. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  prevalence  and  violent 
expression  of  unchristian  prejudices  and  passions  among  the 
men  of  either  side  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  Dr. 
M'Pheeters  at  least  always  maintained  Christian  charity 
unwounded  either  by  thought  or  word.  His  spirit  was 
chastened  with  sorrow,  and  his  physical  health  crushed,  but 
he  was  never  excited  to  bitterness.  All  his  public  and 
private  utterances  were  full  of  love  and  grace.  His  letters 
all  corroborate  the  testimony  of  his  wife,  that  at  no  time 
during  his  years  of  trial  did  he,  even  in  the  privacy  of 
home,  speak  a  word  which  would  have  compromised  him 
if  known  to  the  whole  world. 

For  the  last  five  years  of  his  life  he  was  the  well-beloved 
pastor  of  the  rural  congregation  of  Mulberry,  Kentucky. 
Here  the  beauty  and  glory  of  his  life  culminated  and 
ripened  fast  for  heaven  as  gently  as  the  rich  autumnal  twi- 
light melts  into  the  perfect  day.  For  more  than  three 
years  he  was  confined  to  his  couch,  and  preached  and 
talked  to  his  people  always  in  a  recumbent  position.  His 
house,  the  home  of  all  his  people,  was  thronged  with  con- 
stant visitors.  From  his  couch  the  patient  sufferer,  at 
home  and  in  the  church,  talked  and  preached  with  radiant 
countenance,  and  with  matchless  sweetness  and  spiritual 
power.  A  perennial  dispensation  of  the  gracious  Spirit 
was  kindly  granted  them.  Many  were  converted,  and  the 
entire  church  walked  with  their  angelic  pastor  on  the 


5<DO  HOSTILE  CRITICISM.  [1861-67. 

heights  of  Beulah,  in  constant  view  of  the  celestial  city,  and 
under  the  perpetual  inspiration  of  its  hopes  and  joys.  Thus 
one  of  the  humblest,  gentlest,  loveliest  of  mankind  exultantly 
bore  testimony  to  the  all-sufficiency  of  his  Lord. 

It  was  for  thus  standing  in  his  place  during  a  period  of 
confusion  and  conflict,  and  for  teaching  these  principles, 
that  Dr.  Hodge  was  assailed,  and  his  influence  sought  to  be 
destroyed  by  angry  and  bewildered  men.  The  Presbytery 
of  Oxford,  consisting  of  two  pastors  and  four  stated  sup- 
plies, and  an  unusual  proportion  of  men  without  charge,  at  its 
meeting,  April,  1866,  overtured  the  General  Assembly,  that 
"for  the  peace  and  purity  of  the  Church,"  Dr.  Hodge 
should  be  directed  to  desist  from  teaching  as  he  had  done, 
and  from  thus  "  corrupting  the  minds  of  the  young  men  in 
the  Seminary,  in  regard  to  their  church  and  country." 

In  his  article,  October,  1865,  he  says,  "It  has  been  inti- 
mated in  some  quarters,  with  small  indications  of  sorrow, 
that  in  pursuing  the  course  above  indicated,  this  Review  has 
lost  the  support  of  the  loyal  States.  We  learn  from  the 
publisher  that  this  is  a  mistake.  The  list  of  subscribers  in 
those  states  is  as  large  now  as  it  was  before  the  war.  It  is 
in  the  seceding  states  the  falling  off  has  occurred.  Some 
kind  friends,  without  our  knowledge,  brought  the  matter 
before  the  last  Assembly,  but  the  Editor  has  not  lifted  a 
finger  to  secure  patronage  for  the  Review.  To  him  its  dis- 
continuance would  be  a  great  relief.  He  has  carried  it  as  a 
ball-and-chain  for  forty  years,  with  scarcely  any  other  com- 
pensation than  the  high  privilege  and  honor  of  making  it 
an  organ  for  upholding  sound  Presbyterianism,  the  cause  of 
the  country,  and  the  honor  of  our  common  Redeemer." 
He  had  carried  it  for  forty  years,  and  in  three  years  more 
he  did  finally  lay  it  down.  The  reader  of  the  past  pages  of 
these  memoirs,  will  have  some  means  of  appreciating  the 
pathos  of  the  above  sentences,  coming  as  they  do  so  near 
the  closing  scenes  of  such  a  period  and  character  of  ser- 
vice. 


M-s. 69-72.]     REUNION  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIANS.  50! 

This  is  not  recorded  in  the  spirit  of  complaint.  Dr. 
Hodge's  nearest  representatives  are  gratefully  sensible  of  the 
universality,  sincerity  and  singular  eminence  of  the  honors 
awarded  him  in  his  closing  life.  But  no  picture  can  be 
drawn,  if  the  shadows  are  left  out,  and  these  shadows  of 
storm-drifted  clouds  are  left  where  they  fell,  that  the  truth 
of  history  may  be  preserved  in  its  integrity. 

THE    REUNION    OF    THE    OLD    AND    NEW    SCHOOL    PRES- 
BYTERIANS. 

As  was  shown  in  a  previous  chapter  of  this  book  the  di- 
vision of  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  caused  by  the  belief 
on  the  part  of  those,  chiefly  of  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish  de- 
scent, who  were  strongly  attached  to  the  unmodified  Pres- 
byterian usages  and  doctrines  inherited  from  a  past  age, 
that  the  Church  as  then  situated,  was  in  great  danger  of 
being  disorganized  by  amalgamation  with  Congregational- 
ism, and  corrupted  by  the  toleration  of  variations  of  the 
Calvinistic  system  of  New  England  origin.  [These  doctrinal 
variations  were  of  different  degrees,  some  of  them  classified 
under  the  general  head  of  Hopkinsianism,  which  Dr.  Hodge  » 
thought  did  not  occasion  a  ground  of  division,  and  others 
classified  under  the  head  of  Taylorism,  which  he  did  re- 
gard as  intolerable. r 

Immediately  after  the  war,  the  two  branches  of  the 
Church  in  the  North  approximated  each  other  more  nearly 
than  ever  before  in  size  and  condition,  the  Old  School 
branch  having  been  by  that  event  separated  from  the  large 
and  intensely  orthodox  and  conservative  Southern  section. 
They  had  moreover  been  drawn  together  by  their  intense 
sympathy  in  the  great  passions  and  sufferings  of  the  imme- 
diately preceding  years.  The  New  School  branch  also, 
as  Dr.  S.  W.  Fisher  declared  in  his  speech  before  the 
National  Presbyterian  Union  Convention  in  Philadel- 
phia, Nov.  1867,  had  become  separate  from  its  past 
Congregational  alliances  and  thus  "  God  had  elimi- 


502  REUNION  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIANS.       [1867-70. 

nated  discordant  elements,  which  gave  them  (us)  much 
trouble,  and  which  gave  the  (our)  brethren  of  the  other 
branch  great  occasion  for  censure."  Both  branches  were 
now  completely  and  equally  (with  slight  and  transient  ex- 
ceptions) Presbyterian  in  their  organization,  and  the  graver 
departures  from  the  old  Calvinistic  system  had  ceased  to 
prevail.  Besides  these  facts  justifying  reunion,  there  ex- 
isted, as  generally  prevalent  conditions  prompting  to  it ; — a 
disposition,  upon  the  more  politically  radical  party  of  the 
Old  School  to  make  up  for  the  loss  of  the  Southern  Church, 
and  an  intense  sympathy  with  that  branch  of  the  Church 
which  was  largely  leavened  with  New  England  ideas  : — a 
substitution  on  all  sides  of  an  interest  in  the  history  and 
comparison  of  theological  doctrines  and  systems,  for  the 
interest  in  original  speculation  which  had  prevailed  in  the 
preceding  generation  : — and  last,  though  not  least,  the  in- 
fluence of  the  general  spirit  of  the  age,  which  deprecates 
the  value  of  doctrinal  distinctions,  and  emphasizes  the 
value  of  character,  and  practical  energy  and  work. 

[In  1837-8  Dr.  Hodge  opposed,  not  the  division  of  the 
Church,  but  the  spirit,  policy,  and  methods  of  some  of  the 
Old  School  leaders,  in  their  attempts  to  effect  that  eno!? 
He  did  so  because  he  was  constitutionally  a  conservative, 
and  spontaneously  resisted  all  change ;  because  he  did  not 
believe  the  evils  prevalent  to  be  as  imminent  nor  as  dan- 
gerous as  represented  by  the  ultra  Old  School  men;  and 
because  he  disapproved  of  many  of  the  methods  they 
pursued,  as  unconstitutional,  and  as  impolitic,  involving 
the  danger  of  giving  the  opposite  party  the  advantage 
of  possessing  the  majority,  and  actual  legal  control  of 
the  organization  and  property.  [In  1867-70  he  occupied 
precisely  the  same  position.  He  had  shared  in  none  of  the 
"  progress  "  of  the  times.  He  would  not  have  divided  the 
Church  if  reunited,  but  he  saw  no  sufficient  reason  for 
uniting  the  actually  and  long-divided  branches.  For  thirty 
years  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  Church  had  been  an 


yET.  69-72.]    REUNION' OF  THE  PRESBYTERIANS.  503 

established  fact  in  the  world.  It  had  assumed  its  place, 
and  discharged  its  functions  in  the  family  of  Churches,  as 
a  witness-bearing  body,  as  its  special  function  maintaining 
intact  by  testimony  and  by  discipline,  the  strict  old  Calvin- 
ism of  our  Fathers,  and  of  the  Westminster  Confession, 
strictly  interpreted.  His  life  had  been  identified  with  this 
work ;  he  loved  it  and  believed  it  to  be  indispensable  to  the 
welfare  of  the  sisterhood  of  Christian  Denominations,  which 
God  had  severally  adorned  with  different  graces,  and  to 
which  he  had  severally  assigned  different  functions.  He  did 
not  believe  that  the  reunited  Presbyterian  Church  of  the 
future  would  take  the  place  of  the  Old  School  Church  of  the 
past.  He  was  not  insensible  to  the  blessedness  and  the 
glories  of  Christian  Union  as  he  made  plain  by  his  speeches 
at  the  National  Presbyterian  Convention,  Nov.  1867,  and  at 
the  Evangelical  Alliance,  Oct.  1873.  \_But  he  believed  that 
under  the  present  condition  of  the  universal  Church,  each 
Denomination  has  its  special  gift  and  intrusted  function, 
and  that  the  gift  and  function  of  the  Old  School  Presbyterian 
Church  was  one  of  the  most  precious  and  indispensable, 
and  one  which  no  other  could  fulfill.  He  never  believed 
or  said  that  his  New  School  brethren  were  the  holders  or 
the  teachers  of  heresy.  He  did  not  pretend  to  judge  or  to 
mistrust  their  orthodoxy.  He  simply  maintained  that  as  a 
historical  fact  those  brethren  had  always,  and  did  now, 
maintain  and  practice  a  principle  and  latitude  of  toleration 
different  from  that  of  the  Old  School.  Pie  held  that  if  not 
for  themselves,  yet  for  others  they  interpreted  the  formula 
of  subscription  to  our  doctrinal  standards  in  a  different 
sense,  or  at  least  different  spirit ;  that  even  if  hereafter  the 
Old  School  should  produce  all  the  heretics,  the  New 
School  division  of  the  New  Church  would  provide  their 
principal  and  most  influential  defenders,  or  excusers. 

yHe  therefore  set  himself  once  more  to  face  and  resist  the 
current  of  the  timesjjto  oppose  what  he  believed  to  be  the 
rash  course  of  the  majority  of  his  own  church,  and  to  call 


504        NATIONAL  PRESBYTERIAN  CONVENTION.  [1867-70. 

down  upon  himself  the  impatience  and  displeasure  of  many. 
He  spoke  and  wrote  in  public  and  private,  and  voted  against 
the  movement  on  every  occasion  that  was  afforded  him. 
He  wrote  in  the  Princeton  Review  the  articles  on  the  General 
Assembly  for  1866  and  1867  ;  on  "  The  Principles  of  Church 
Union  and  the  Re-union  of  Old  and  New  School  Presby- 
terians "  in  1865  ;  and  on  "Presbyterian  Re-union,"  and  on 
"  The  Protests  and  Answer  "  in  1868.  He  spoke,  voted,  and 
wrote  and  signed  the  Protest  against  it  in  the  General  As- 
sembly of  1868.  And  after  the  majority  of  his  most 
thorough  sympathizers,  seeing  the  event  inevitable,  had  capi- 
tulated in  order  to  secure  the  most  favorable  conditions  pos- 
sible, he  wavered  not  a  hair's  breadth,  but  rode  nine  miles 
to  meet  the  Presbytery  in  Cranberry,  on  October  5th,  1869, 
with  the  "  anthrax  malitiosissimus  "  on  the  back  of  his  neck, 
for  the  purpose  of  casting  his  final  vote  against  it. 

THE    NATIONAL    PRESBYTERIAN    CONVENTION,    PHILADEL- 
PHIA, NOVEMBER,   1867. 

On  the  6th,  7th  and  8th  of  November,  1867,  on  the  invi- 
tation of  the  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church, 
a  National  Presbyterian  Union  Convention  met  in  the  First 
Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia.  Mr.  George 
H.  Stuart  was  President.  Besides  many  corresponding 
members  allowed  to  speak  but  not  to  vote,  the  Convention 
consisted  of  162  representatives  of  the  Old  School  branch  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  64  of  the  New  School,  of  the 
United  Presbyterians  1 2  ;  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterians 
12;  of  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  6;  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterians  6.  Dr.  Hodge  was  a  member,  and  went  to  it 
under  an  "  entire  misapprehension,  supposing  from  the 
wording  of  the  call  that  the  object  of  the  meeting  was  prayer 
and  conference,  for  the  promotion  of  Christian  fellowship? 
and  harmonious  action  between  the  several  bodies  repre- 
sented." When,  therefore,  he  found  that  the  drift  of  all  the 
speakers  and  resolutions  was  towards  the  establishment  of 


XT.  69-72.]  NA  TtONAL  PRESB  YTERIAN  CONVENTION.      505 

a  general  organic  union,  he  remained  quiet,  and  made  no 
address  till  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day,  when  he  ex- 
pounded the  sense  in  which  he  maintained  the  "  Standards  " 
should  be  embraced  as  containing 'the  system  of  doctrine 
taught  in  Holy  Scripture.' 

It  came  to  the  knowledge  of  this  Convention  that  in  the 
Annual  Meeting  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Evangelical 
Societies,  consisting  of  about  450  members,  bishops,  clergy 
and  laymen,  held  at  that  time  in  Philadelphia,  prayer  had 
been  offered  in  behalf  of  the  National  Presbyterian  body. 
Hence  on  Thursday  a  committee  headed  by  Professor  Henry 
B.  Smith  of  New  York,  was  deputed  to  carry  the  salutations 
of  the  representatives  of  all  branches  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  to  their  Episcopal  brethren.  On  Friday  morning, 
November  8th,  a  responding  Episcopal  delegation,  consisting 
of  Bishops  M'llvaine  of  Ohio,  and  Lee  of  Delaware,  and 
the  Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  Jr.,  and  the  Hon.  Judge 
Conyngham  and  Hon.  Felix  B.  Brunot,  brought  the  saluta- 
tions and  blessings  of  the  Episcopal  body  to  the  representa- 
tives of  the  National  Presbyterianism.  They  addressed  the 
Conference  in  warmly  affectionate  language,  offered  extem- 
poraneous and  eloquent  prayers  in  their  behalf,  and  pro- 
nounced upon  them  the  Apostolic  benediction.  Such  a 
scene  has  no  parallel,  considering  the  representative  charac- 
ter of  the  bodies  and  persons  concerned  in  the  transaction, 
in  the  entire  history  of  American  Christianity. 

"  Dr.  Hodge  was  brought  forward  by  the  President  to  re- 
spond to  this  deputation  in  the  name  of  the  Presbyterian 
Convention,  and  was  greeted  with  great  applause.  He 
said  : — '  Gentlemen  and  brothers,  honored  and  beloved  :  I 
am  called  upon,  as  you  hear,  to  present,  in  the  name  of  this 
Convention,  their  hearty  greeting  and  salutation.  You  here 
see  around  you,  sirs,  the  representatives  of  six  Presbyterian 
organizations  of  this  country,  comprising  in  the  aggregate 
at  least  five  thousand  ministers  of  Jesus,  an  equal  number 
of  Christian  churches,  and  at  least  one  million  of  Christians, 


506       -NATIONAL  PRESBYTERIAN  CONVENTION.  [1867  70. 

who  have  been  baptized  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  It 
is  not  only,  therefore,  as  the  organ  of  the  Convention,  but 
for  the  moment,  as  the  mouth-piece  of  this  vast  body  of 
ministers  and  public  Christian  men,  that  we,  sirs,  were  com- 
missioned to  present  to  you  our  cordial  and  affectionate 
Christian  salutations. 

"  We  wish  to  assure  you,  sirs,  that  your  names  are  just 
as  familiar  to  our  people  as  to  your  own  !  That  we  appre- 
ciate as  highly  your  services  in  the  cause  of  our  common 
Master,  as  the  people  of  your  own  honored  Church.  And, 
sirs,  we  rejoice  with  them  in  all  that  God  has  accomplished 
through  your  instrumentality. 

"  I  hope  this  audience  will  pardon  a  reference  that  might 
seem  too  personal  under  any  other  circumstances  than  the 
present.  The  honored  President  of  this  Convention  might 
easily  have  selected  some  more  suitable  person  to  be  the 
mouth-piece  of  this  body,  but  on  the  ground  of  one  con- 
sideration, perhaps  the  choice  of  myself  to  be  that  organ  is 
not  altogether  inappropriate. 

"You,  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  and  Bishop  Johns,  whom  I  had 
hoped  to  see  with  you  here  to  day, — you  and  I,  sir,  were 
boys  together  in  Princeton  College,  fifty  odd  years  ago. 
Often  at  evening  have  we  knelt  together  in  prayer.  We 
passed  through,  sir,  the  baptism  of  that  wonderful  revival 
in  that  institution  in  1815.  We  sat  together,  year  after  year, 
side  by  side,  in  the  same  class-room.  We  were  instructed 
through  our  theological  course  by  the  same  venerable 
teachers.  You,  sir,  have  gone  your  way,  and  I  have  gone 
mine ;  and  I  will  venture  to  say  in  the  presence  of  this 
audience,  that  I  do  not  believe  you  have  preached  one  ser- 
mon on  any  point  of  doctrine  or  Christian  experience, 
which  I  would  not  have  rejoiced  to  have  uttered.  And  I 
feel  fully  confident  that  I  never  preached  a  sermon,  the  sen- 
timents of  which,  you  would  not  have  publicly  and  cordially 
endorsed. 

"And  now,  sir,  after  these  fifty  odd  years,  here  we  stand, 


MT.  69-72.]  NA  TIONA  L  PRESB  YTERIAN  CONVENTION.      507 

gray-headed,  side  by  side,  for  the  moment  representatives 
.  of  these  two  great  bodies  of  organized  Christians.  Feeling 
for  each  other  the  same  intimate  cordial  love,  and  mutual 
confidence;  looking  not  backward, — not  downward  to  the 
grave  beneath  our  very  feet, — but  onward  to  the  coming 
glory.  Brethren,  pardon  this  personal  allusion,  but  is  there 
not  something  that  may  be  regarded  as  symbolical  in  this? 
Has  not  your  Church  and  our  Church  been  rocked  in  the 
same  cradle?  Did  they  not  pass  through  the  same  Red 
Sea,  receiving  the  same  baptism  of  the  Spirit,  and  of  fire  ? 
Have  they  not  uttered  from  those  days  of  the  Reformation 
to  the  present  time,  the  same  great  testimony  for  Christ  and 
his  Gospel  ?  What  difference,  sir,  is  there  between  your 
Thirty-nine  Articles,  and  our  Confession  of  Faith,  other 
than  the  difference  between  one  part  and  another  of  the 
same  great  Cathedral  anthem  rising  to  the  skies?  Does  it 
not  seem  to  indicate,  sir,  that  these  Churches  are  coming 
together?  We  stand  here,  sir,  to  say  to  the  whole  world, 
that  we  are  one  in  faith,  one  in  baptism,  one  in  life,  and  one 
in  our  allegiance  to  your  Lord  and  to  our  Lord." 

The  reporter  says,  "  During  the  delivery  of  this  speech 
there  was  scarcely  a  dry  eye  in  the  house,  and  the  speaker 
was  frequently  interrupted  by  the  cries  of  'Amen,'  from 
the  delegates." 

In  an  editorial  of  the  next  week,  the  Presbyterian,  allud- 
ing to  the  irritation  which  Dr.  Hodge's  course  in  opposing 
his  Church  on  the  matter  of  its  war-deliverances  and  the 
project  of  Reunion  had  occasioned,  said: — "If  any  one  has 
ever  imagined  that  the  influence  of  Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  of 
Princeton,  was  waning,  either  in  the  Church,  of  which  he  is 
the  ornament,  and  in  which  he  is  ever  held  in  honor,  or  in 
other  Presbyterian  communions,  it  was  only  necessary  for 
him  to  be  present  in  the  late  Convention,  and  witness  the 
reception  given  to  the  venerable  Professor,  to  assure  him 
that  his  imaginings  were  vain.  Dr.  Hodge  chose  to  re- 
main quiet  during  the  most  of  the  sessions  of  the  body,  but 


508        NATIONAL  PRESBYTERIAN  CONVENTION.  [1867-70. 

when  he  appeared  upon  the  platform,  it  was  to  be  greeted 
as  no  other  man  was  received  in  that  church.  Spontane- 
ously, and  ere  he  had  ^opened  his  lips  to  speak,  applause 
started  from  all  parts  of  the  house,  and  was  long  continued 
and  hearty.  It  was  the  ready  homage  of  Christian  men  to 
one  who  had  kept  the  faith,  and  taught  it,  and  had  ever 
been  foremost  in  its  defense,  and  so  had  won  his  way  to  the 
highest  confidence  and  respect  of  the  Church.  It  showed 
to  all  how  good  it  is  to  work  for  one's  generation,  and  for 
the  Church  of  God,  and  receive,  as  the  end  of  life  draws 
near,  the  precious  tokens  of  the  Church's  love  and  the 
Master's  approbation.  It  added  to  the  interest  of  the  occa- 
sion that  his  early  and  life-long  friend  was  there  to  witness 
these  expressions  of  esteem  and  confidence  from  the 
gathered  Church ;  and  we  are  very  sure  that  no  one  in  the 
assembly  would  have  acknowledged  more  fully  the  justice 
of  the  tribute  paid  to  Dr.  Hodge  than  the  beloved  bishop 
of  Ohio.  We  thank  God  for  such  men ;  for  their  lives  and 
works,  and  for  the  honor  and  affection  which  are  gathering 
about  their  names  as  passing  years  are  bringing  them  near- 
er to  the  blessed  home  of  the  saints  of  God." 


CHAPTER  XII. 


HIS      SEMI-CENTENNIAL. 
APRIL  24,  1872. 

AS  we  have  seen  from  Dr.  Hodge's  journal  given  in 
chapter  5,  in  which  he  records  the  celebration  of  the 
jubilee  of  Professor  Nehemeyer  in  Halle,  it  has  been  cus- 
tomary in  Germany  to  celebrate  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
veteran  professors.  The  jubilee  of  his  old  friend,  Professor 
Tholuck,  was  celebrated  in  1874,  two  years  after  his  own. 
But  this,  as  far  as  known,  is  the  first  instance  in  which  such 
an  event  has  crowned  the  life  of  an  American  professor. 
As  he  had  become  a  teacher  in  this  seminary  in  1820,  and 
had  been  elected  professor  by  the  General  Assembly  in  May, 
1822,  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  professorship  terminated  with 
the  end  of  the  academic  year  ending  April  23d,  1872.  The 
suggestion  of  this  great  honor  originated  with  and  its  exe- 
cution for  the  most  part  devolved  on  his  loving  and  filial 
pupil  and  colleague,  Prof.  William  Henry  Green,  D.  D. 
Nothing  could  be  more  beautiful  than  the  affectionate  at- 
tention with  which  for  more  than  twenty-five  years  he 
honored  his  senior  and  friend.  Our  father,  just  before  his 
death,  very  solemnly  laid  upon  his  children  the  inheritance 
of  obligation  incurred  by  this  long  and  singular  kindness 
of  his  friend  and  theirs. 

In  anticipation  of  this  event,  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Seminary  at  their  annual  meeting  in  1871,  invited  the 
alumni  and  friends  of  the  Seminary  to  assemble  in  Prince- 

509 


5IO  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  [1872. 

ton  on  the  day  subsequent  to  the  completion  of  this  half 
century,  with  a  view  to  its  glad  and  grateful  commemora- 
tion. They  also  suggested  the  creation  at  that  time  of 
"  some  memorial  of  the  long,  faithful  and  useful  professorial 
labors"  of  Dr.  Hodge,  and  proposed  further  that  an 
alumni  association  should  be  formed;  and  appointed  a 
committee  of  seven,  to  devise  and  carry  into  effect  such 
measures  as  might  be  requisite  for  the  end  contemplated. 

This  committee  of  the  Directors  forthwith  named  a  com- 
mittee of  seventy  alumni  residing  in  various  parts  of  the 
country,  whose  counsel  and  co-operation  were  solicited,  and 
who  were  invited  to  meet  in  Princeton,  June  28th,  1871, 
the  day  of  the  commencement  of  the  College  of  New  Jer- 
sey, in  order  to  deliberate  upon  the  best  method  of  accom- 
plishing what  had  been  proposed  and  adopting  such  mea- 
sures as  might  seem  advisable  for  the  purpose. 

Encouraged  by  cordial  responses  to  letters  of  inquiry 
and  by  the  general  interest  manifested,  the  committee  of 
seventy,  with  such  others  of  the  alumni  of  the  Seminary  as 
were  then  gathered  in  Princeton,  met  in  the  chapel  of  the 
College  on  Commencement  day,  and  with  great  unanimity 
and  cordiality  endorsed  the  project  in  the  following  reso- 
lutions : 

"Resolved,  i.  That  the  proposed  celebration  of  the  semi- 
centennial of  Dr.  Hodge  meets  our  hearty  concurrence,  and 
we  cordially  unite  with  the  Directors  in  inviting  the  friends 
and  former  students  of  the  Seminary  to  meet  for  this  pur- 
pose in  Princeton,  on  Wednesday,  April  24th,  1872;  and 
that  this  invitation  be  very  particularly  extended  to  all  our 
brethren  in  different  Christian  denominations,  and  in  every 
section  of  our  country,  as  well  as  in  foreign  lands,  who  have 
received  their  education  here  in  whole  or  in  part.  And  we 
express  the  earnest  hope  that  the  hallowed  memories  of  the 
past,  personal  attachments,  and  local  and  literary  associa- 
tions with  this  cherished  spot,  may  be  permitted  to  over- 
come the  long  and  wide  separation  of  time  and  place,  and 


MT.  74-1  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  5 1  I 

ecclesiastical  organization,  so  that  we  may  all  upon  this  glad 
occasion  gather  around  the  instructor  whom  we  all  love  and 
revere,  a  band  cf  brethren,  cemented  in  Christian  love,  re- 
newing and  pledging  a  mutual  confidence  and  affection 
which  nothing  in  the  past  shall  be  suffered  to  dim  or  to  ob- 
literate, and  nothing  in  the  future  shall  be  permitted  to 
disturb. 

"Resolved,  2.  That  an  Alumni  association  be  then  formed, 
consisting  of  all  who  have  been  for  any  length  of  time  con- 
nected with  the  Seminary  as  theological  students. 

"  Resolved,  3.  That,  in  our  judgment,  the  most  fitting 
memorial  of  this  half  century  of  faithful  and  distinguished 
service  will  be  the  permanent  endowment  of  the  chair  which 
Dr.  Hodge  has  filled  with  such  pre-eminent  ability. 

"  Resolved,  4.  That  this  endowment  be  immediately  unr 
dertaken,  and,  if  possible,  completed  by  the  24th  day  of 
April  next." 

Bishop  Johns  having  found  as  the  time  approached  that 
it  was  impossible  for  him  to  attend,  intimated  that  fact  to 
Dr.  Green  by  letter.  To  this  Dr.  Hodge  sent  the  following 
response : 

PRINCETON,  April  24,  1872. 

Dear  John,  my  Twin-brother  Friend : — Dr.  Greer  sent  me  over 
your  letter  to  him,  and  I  am  so  disappointed  and  grieved  at  its  con- 
tents, I  do  not  know  what  to  do.  I  dread  the  24th,  and  hoped  for 
your  support.  Why  can't  you  visit  some  of  your  churches  before 
the  22d,  so  as  to  be  free  a  few  days  after  that  date  ?  A  bishop  is  not 
worth  the  mentioning  if  he  cannot  do  what  he  pleases. 

Another  thing  troubles  me  very  much  :  your  letter  is  not  in  your 
hand-writing.  Why  is  this  ?  Do  let  some  one  tell  me  that  it  is  a 
lame  finger  or  something  of  that  kind.  ,1  am  over  head  and  ears  in 
getting  the  third  volume  of  my  big  book  through  the  press  and  ready 
for  it.  It  is  really  awful.  Even  worse  to  write  than  it  is  to  read. 
Love  to  all  your  children  within  hearing. 

You  have  only  one  such  life-long  friend  as  I  am  out  of  your  own 
family. 

CHARLES  HODGE. 


512  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  [1872- 


e  appointed  day  of  the  celebration  brought  together  a 
large  concourse  of  friends  of  the  Seminary,  including  four 
hundred  former  students).  The  first  class  upon  its  roll  is  now 
starred  throughout  ;  the  second  shows  but  a  single  survivor, 
and  the  third  but  two.  From  the  next  class,  which  entered 
in  1815,  the  year  preceding  Dr.  Hodge's  own  matriculation 
as  a  student,  four  of  its  five  surviving  members  were  present  ; 
and  every  subsequent  class  was  represented  with  possibly 
three  or  four  exceptions.  They  came  from  Texas  and  Col- 
orado and  California,  as  well  as  from  places  less  remote. 
The  leading  theological  and  literary  institutions  of  the 
country  deputed  one  or  more  of  their  Professors  to  indicate 
their  interest  in  the  occasion.  The  church  in  which  the 
exercises  were  held  was  densely  thronged,  and  by  an  as- 
semblage remarkable  for  the  number  of  venerable  heads  and 
thoughtful  faces.  Every  available  standing  place  was 
occupied.  The  enthusiasm,  which  was  great  throughout, 
reached  its  climax  at  that  point  in  the  proceedings  when 
Dr.  Hodge  himself,  almost  overcome  by  emotion,  advanced 
to  greet  his  gathered  pupils  and  to  respond  to  the  address 
made  to  him  by  Dr.  Boardman.  The  exercises  were  ad- 
mirably conducted  throughout,  and  in  harmony  with  the 
character  of  the  day.  And  nothing  occurred  to  mar  the 
general  gratification,  which  was  heightened  by  the  fact  that 
notwithstanding  the  brevity  of  the  time  since  the  suggestion 
had  first  been  made  the  projected  endowment  was  brought 
to  the  verge  of  completion,  $45,000  of  the  proposed  $50,000 
being  already  raised,  and  a  purse  of  $15,350  having  besides 
been  made  up  as  a  present  to  Dr.  Hodge.  One  gentleman 
has  also  given  $50  towards  a  fund,  whose  income  shall  be 
expended  in  the  purchase  of  copies  of  Dr.  Hodge's  Theo- 
logy or  of  his  Commentary  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans 
to  be  given  to  needy  students  of  the  Seminary. 

"The  amount  thus  far  contributed  to  the  endowment  is 
from  575  separate  donors,  mostly  former  students  of  this 
Seminary,  residing  in  twenty-five  different  States  and  Terri- 


MT.  74.]  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  5  I  3 

tories  of  this  country,  some  of  them  missionaries  in  China, 
India,  Siam  and  South  America,  a  few  in  the  Dominion  of 
Canada,  and  one  who  is  now  Professor  of  Theology  in  the 
Assembly's  College  in  Ireland,  and  who  has  embraced  this 
opportunity  to  renew  his  old  allegiance.  It  may  safely  be 
said  that  few  funds  of  like  amount  represent  an  equal  mea- 
sure of  self-denial  and  devotion  on  the  part  of  those  who 
have  contributed  to  them.  Ministers,  themselves  receiving 
an  inadequate  support,  have  aided  in  this  endowment  with 
a  generous  enthusiasm,  sending  sums  that  they  could  not 
well  afford  to  spare,  but  forward  to  testify  their  indebted- 
ness to  their  honored  teacher,  and  eager  to  have  a  share  in 
erecting  this  monument  to  bear  his  name." 

The  ist  Presbyterian  Church  of  Princeton  was  arranged 
with  an  extended  platform  as  has  been  the  custom  on 
college  commencements  from  time  immemorial.  Dr. 
Hodge  and  Dr.  Boardman  sat  on  the  opposite  sides  of 
the  President  of  the  occasion,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Snodgrass, 
President  of  the  Board  of  Directors. 

The  first  order,  after  prayer,  was  the  delivery  of  an  ad- 
mirable Address  on  the  appropriate  theme,  "  THE  TITLE  OF 
THEOLOGY  TO  RANK  AS  A  SCIENCE,"  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  T. 
Duryea,  D.D.,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Dr.  Snodgrass  then  introduced  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  A. 
Boardman,  of  Philadelphia,  who,  in  the  name  of  the  Direc/ 
tors  and  Trustees  of  the  Seminary,  and  of  the  Alumni, 
addressed  Dr.  Hodge,  and  spoke  substantially  as  follows: 

"  MY  HONORED  FATHER,  BROTHER,  FRIEND  : — I  am  com- 
missioned by  the  Directors  of  our  Seminary  to  present 
to  you  their  cordial  congratulations,  and  to  assure  you  of 
the  profound  sense  they  entertain  of  the  invaluable  services 
you  have  rendered  to  the  cause  and  kingdom  of  Christ. 
We  this  day  bear  our  public  testimony  to  the  eminent 
ability,  the  ample  and  various  learning,  the  practical  wis- 
dom, the  thorough  conscientiousness,  the  unswerving  fi- 
delity, and  the  humble,  devout,  earnest  spirit  which  you 
33 


514  HIS  SEMI- CENTENNIAL.  [  1872. 

have  brought  to  the  discharge  of  your  high  trust.  We 
offer  our  thanksgivings  to  the  Author  of  all  good,  that  you 
have  been  spared  to  us  so  long,  and  in  reviewing  this  half- 
century  of  your  labors,  we  reverently  glorify  God  in  you. 

"  The  occasion  takes  our  thoughts  back  irresistibly  to 
the  origin  of  this  School  of  the  Prophets.     At  this  hour, 
hallowed  by  so  many  tender  and  sacred  memories,  there 
rise  before  us  the  venerable  forms  of  those  two  patriarchal 
men,  Drs.  Alexander  and  Miller,  in  whose  arms  the  institu- 
tion was  cradled.     We  gratefully  acknowledge  the  Divine 
goodness  and  mercy  in  sparing  them  for  forty  years  to 
impress  themselves  upon  its  character,  to  define  its  theo- 
logy, to  determine  its  direction,  and  to  infuse  into  it  the 
animating  tone  and  spirit  by  which  it  was  to  be  controlled 
in  after  times.     It  was  the  universal  feeling  of  our  Church, 
that  a  mercy  so  signal  was  too  great  to  be  repeated.     Yet 
what  hath  God  wrought !     The  mantle  of  our  Elijahs  has 
certainly  fallen  upon  our  Elisha.     Their  associate  first,  and 
then,  in  the  true  line  of  the  apostolical  succession,  their 
successor,  he  has  taken  up  and  carried  forward  their  work, 
and  we  to-day  commemorate  a  ministration,  not  of  forty, 
but  of  fifty  years,  marked  with  every  attribute  which  can 
command  our  homage,  or  win  our  gratitude.     But  I  forget 
my  errand.     Assigned  to  a  service  to  which  I  feel  myself 
most  unequal,  and  from  which  I  sought  in  vain  to  escape,  I 
am  instructed  to  speak  to  you  on  behalf,  not  only  of  the 
Directors  of  our  Seminary,  but  of  the  Alumni  also.     I  have 
no  words  for  this.     Here,  in  the  scene  before  us,  is  the  only 
adequate  expression  that  can  be  given  to  the  feelings  of 
your  former  pupils.     From  far  and  near,  the  aged  and  the 
young,  moved  by  a  common  impulse,  have  hastened  to  this 
festal  service.      Commingled   with   them   are   the   learned 
Faculties   of  other  seminaries   and  colleges,  distinguished 
laymen,  and  honored  legates  of  European  Churches.     No 
eye  can  look  upon  this  sea  of  upturned  faces  without  being 
impressed  with  the  spectacle.     As  interpreted  by  its  object, 


JET.  74.]  &fS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  5  I  5 

and  by  the  free,  generous  inspiration  which  pervades  the 
entire  body,  it  bears  an  aspect  of  moral  beauty — nay, 
of  moral  sublimity — beyond  almost  any  convocation  our 
Church,  or  even  our  country  has  witnessed.  Who  has 
ever  seen  a  gathering  like  this  ?  Ovations  to  heroes,  and 
statesmen,  and  authors  are  no  novelty,  but  here  is  the  spon- 
taneous homage  paid  to  a  simple  teacher  of  God's  Word, 
and  defender  of  his  truth,  by  a  vast  assemblage,  worthily 
representing  the  highest  culture,  and  the  most  exalted 
moral  worth  of  our  land.  No  man  of  our  times  has  re- 
ceived a  tribute  comprising,  in  an  equal  degree,  the  choice 
elements  that  are  blended  here.  And,  my  beloved  friend 
and  brother,  there  is  but  one  name  among  the  living  that 
could  have  drawn  this  concourse  together.  Nor  is  this  all. 
What  we  see,  imposing  as  it  is,  is  as  nothing  to  what  we  do 
not  see. 

"  Of  the  twenty- seven  hundred  men  who  have  sat  at  your 
feet  J  there  are  few  in  the  field  who  are  not  here  in  spirit  to- 
day. The  wires  are  up,  and  there  is  a  sweet  tide  of  thought 
and  sympathy  flowing  to  us  at  this  hour  from  our  toiling 
brethren  in  Europe,  in  Africa,  in  Eastern  Asia,  in  South 
America,  and  in  the  Isles  of  the  Sea.  It  is  not  less  for  them 
I  speak  than  for  the  hundreds  of  your  students  who  are 
present,  when  I  say  we  rejoice  with  you  in  this  Jubilee ; 
from  our  heart  of  hearts  we  thank  you  for  the  priceless 
benefits  we  have  received  at  your  hands ;  and  we  praise 
God  for  all  that  affluence  of  blessings  which  he  has  be- 
stowed upon  you,  and  through  you  upon  his  Church,  Do 
not  imagine,  however,  that  we  have  come  together  merely 
to  recognize  in  you  the  great  expositor  and  defender  of  the 
faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.  I  appeal  to  you,  Fathers 
and  Brethren,  that  it  is  not  this  sentiment  only,  nor  mainly, 
which  throbs  in  our  breasts  to-day.  Beheld  from  a  dis- 
tance, even  friendly  eyes  see  on  this  ancient  hill  simply  a 
giant  oak,  with  its  grand  old  branches  swaying  to  the  winds 
of  heaven.  But  to  us,  branches  and  trunk  alike  are  so 


5  I  6  V  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  [1872. 

covered  with  vines,  and  flowers,  and  clustering  fruits,  that 
we  scarcely  wot  of  the  massive  props  that  are  underneath. 
And  so,  whatever  of  honest  admiration  we  may  feel  for  our 
gifted  master,  it  is  not  that  which  brings  us  here,  but  the 
affection  rather  which  we  cherish  for  him  as  an  unselfish 
and  sympathizing  friend.  If  the  homely  phrase  may  be  al- 
lowed, while  we  honor  him  for  the  great  head  which  God 
has  given  him,  we  love  him  for  his  still  greater  heart. 

'J'Allusion  has  been  made  to  the  type  of  theology  taught 
in  this  Seminary.  It  has  two  leading  characteristics.  In 
the  first  place,  the  principle  upon  which  it  rests,  and  which 
underlies  every  part  and  parcel  of  the  lofty  superstructure, 
is  the  absolute,  universal,  and  exclusive  supremacy  of  the 
Word  of  God  as  the  rule  of  faith  and  practice.  A  censorious 
critic  said  the  other  day,  derisively,  in  reviewing  the  volumes 
of  Theology  lately  published  :  "  It  is  enough  for  Dr.  Hodgex 
to  believe  a  thing  to  be  true  that  he  finds  it  in  the  Bible !" 
We  accept  the  token.  Dr.  Hodge  has  never  got  beyond 
the  Bible.  It  contains  every  jot  and  title  of  his  theolog}yj 
And  woe  be  to  this  Seminary  whenever  any  man  shall  be 
called  to  fill  one  of  its  chairs,  who  gets  his  theology  from 
any  other  source.  [The  second  characteristic  of  this  system 
is  that  it  is  a  Christology.  Christ  is  its  central  sun ;  its 
pervading  element;  the  stem  from  which  everything" in 
dogma,  in  precept,  in  religious  experience,  radiates,  and 
towards  which  every  thing  returns.  Not  as  a  mere  anatomy 
does  Christ  dwell  here — the  crown  of  a  speculative  organism, 
symmetrical  and  complete,  but  without  flesh  and  blood  and 
vitality.  Rather  is  He  the  living  soul  that  animates,  and 
guides,  and  hallows  the  whole.  If  a  theology  must  needs 
take  somewhat  of  its  essential  tone  from  the  temper  of  its 
expounder,  who  can  marvel  that  the  theology  of  this  insti- 
tution should  be  instinct  with  a  gentle,  loving,  humble 
Christ-like  spirit  ? 

"  To  be  permitted  to  set  forth  and  inculcate  a  system  like 
this,  even   in   the  ordinary  routine  of  personal  labor,  is  no 


JET.  74-]  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  517 

trivial  privilege.  But  what  honor,  beloved  Brother,  has  God 
put  upon  you  !  For  fifty  years  you  have  been  training  men 
to  preach  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  to  their 
fellow-sinners.  The  teacher  of  teachers,  your  pupils  have 
become  professors  in  numerous  Colleges  and  Seminaries  at 
home  and  abroad.  Not  to  speak  of  one  or  two  thousand 
pastors,  who  are  exerting  an  ameliorating  influence  upon 
this  nation  more  potent  than  that  of  an  equal  number  of 
men  belonging  to  any  other  calling,  you  are  helping,  through 
your  students,  to  educate  a  great  body  of  Christian  minis- 
ters, not  a  few  of  whom  are  to  be  employed  in  laying  the 
foundations  of  Christianity  in  pagan  lands.  And  now  there 
is  superadded  that  which  all  your  friends  regard  as  the 
crowning  mercy  of  your  life,  viz. :  that  health  and  strength 
have  been  given  you  to  complete  and  publish  the  only  com- 
prehensive work  of  Systematic  Theology  in  our  own  or  any 
other  language,  which  comprises  the  latest  results  of  sound 
scriptural  exegesis,  discusses  the  great  themes  of  the  Augus- 
tinian  system  from  an  evangelical  standpoint,  and  deals 
satisfactorily  with  the  sceptical  speculations  of  modern 
philosophy  and  science.  In  thus  supplying  what  was  con- 
fessedly, in  the  way  of  authorship,  the  most  urgent  want  of 
Protestant  Christendom,  you  have  extended  indefinitely  the 
range  of  your  beneficent  power. 

"  Your  Theology  must  soon  become  the  Hand-Book  of 
all  students  of  the  Reformed  faith  who  speak  the  English 
tongue.  Where  you  have  taught  scores,  you  will  now 
teach  hundreds;  and  where  you  have  taught  hundreds,  you 
will  teach  thousands.  Thus,  through  your  pupils,  dispersed 
over  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  and  through  this  great 
work,  comprising  your  mature  views  in  the  noblest  of  all 
sciences,  is  your  influence  extending  in  ever-multiplying, 
ever-widening,  concentric  circles,  until  the  mind  is  awed  in 
attempting  to  conceive,  not  of  its  possible,  but  of  its  certain 
results,  as  the  ages  come  and  go.  That  you  should  live  to 
see  this  mighty  mechanism  in  motion — to  guide  into  so 


5 1 8  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  [1872. 

many  of  its  countless  channels  this  broad  stream  from  the 
Fountain  of  living  waters,  is  a  distinction  so  rare  and  so 
exalted  that  we  cannot  but  look  upon  you  as  a  man  greatly 
beloved  of  God,  and  honored  as  He  has  honored  scarcely 
any  other  individual  of  our  age.  When  He  has  thus  spoken, 
we  have  no  right  to  be  silent.  We  render  the  praise  to  Him 
whose  providence  and  grace  have  made  you  what  you  are, 
and  given  you  to  us  and  to  His  Church.  Again  we  do  offer 
our  thanksgivings  for  all  that  He  has  done  and  is  doing  for 
our  Seminary,  for  the  Church,  and  for  the  world  through 
your  instrumentality.  Again  with  one  heart  and  voice  do 
we,  the  Directors,  Trustees,  and  Alumni  of  the  Seminary, 
the  Faculties  and  graduates  of  sister  institutions,  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  other  liberal  professions,  and  your  friends 
of  every  name  and  calling  here  assembled,  congratulate  you 
on  this  auspicious  anniversary,  and  pay  you  the  tribute  of 
our  grateful  love.  '  The  Lord  bless  you  and  keep  you.  The 
Lord  make  His  face  to  shine  upon  you,  and  be  gracious 
unto  you.  The  Lord  lift  up  His  countenance  upon  you, 
and  give  you  peace  !'  " 

As  Dr.  Hodge  rose  to  reply,  the  audience  spontaneously 
rose,  and  a  large  portion  remained  standing  until  he  had 
finished  his  response,  which  was  as  follows : 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  Friends  from  abroad  who  have  honored  this 
occasion  by  your  presence,  and  dear  Brethren  of  the  Alum- 
ni, I  greet  you. 

"  A  man  is  to  be  commiserated  who  is  called  upon  to 
attempt  the  impossible.  The  certainty  of  failure  does  not 
free  him  from  the  necessity  of  the  effort.  It  is  impossible 
that  I  should  make  you  understand  the  feelings  which 
swell  my  heart  almost  to  bursting.  Language  is  an  im- 
perfect vehicle  of  thought;  as  an  expression  of  emotion  it 
is  utterly  inadequate.  We  say,  '  I  thank  you/  to  a  ser- 
vant who  hands  us  a  glass  of  water;  and  we  thank  God 
for  our  salvation.  The  same  word  must  answer  these 


XT.  74.]  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  5  1 9 

widely  different  purposes;  yet  there  is  no  other.  When 
I  say  I  thank  you  for  all  your  respect,  confidence,  and 
love,  I  say  nothing,  I  am  powerless.  I  can  only  bow 
down  before  you  with  tearful  gratitude,  and  call  "on  God 
to  bless  you,  and  to  reward  you  a  hundredfold  for  all  your 
goodness. 

"Allow  me  to  say  one  word.  I  have  been  fifty  years 
connected  with  this  Seminary  as  professor.  During  all 
those  years  no  student  has  ever  hurt  my  feelings  by  any 
unkind  word  or  act.  You  are  disposed  to  cover — to  over- 
whelm me  with  your  commendations.  It  is  you  who 
should  be  commended  and  blessed. 

"  But  I  am  not  here  to  speak  of  myself.  IJLet  me  speak 
of  the  Seminary.  Brethren,  I  too  am  an  Alumnus;  I  share 
your  feelings.  We  love  our  Alma  Mater,  not  because  she 
is  fairer,  richer,  or  better  than  other  mothers,  but  because 
she  is  our  Mother. 

"  Dr.  Boardman  has  anticipated  in  part  what  I  wished  to 
say.  Princeton  Seminary  is  what  it  is,  and  what,  I  trust  it 
will  ever  continue  to  be,  because  Archibald  Alexander  and 
Samuel  Miller  were  what  they  were. 

"  The  law  of  the  fixedness  and  transmissibility  of  types 
pervades  all  the  works  of  God.  The  wheat  we  now 
grow,  grew  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile  before  the  pyramids 
were  built.  Every  nation  of  the  earth  is  now  what  it  is, 
because  of  the  character  of  its  ancestors.  Every  State  of 
our  Union  owes  its  present  character  to  that  of  its  original 
settlers.  This  holds  good  even  of  counties.  Before  the 
middle  of  the  last  century  a  whole  church  with  its  pastor 
emigrated  from  Massachusetts  to  Liberty  County,  Georgia; 
and  that  county  is  the  Eden  of  Georgia  to  this  day.  It  is 
a  proverb  that  the  child  is  father  of  the  man.  The  same 
law  controls  the  life  of  institutions.  What  they  are  during 
their  forming  period,  they  continue  to  be.  This  is  the  rea- 
son why  this  Institution  owes  its  character  to  Dr.  Alexan- 
der and  Dr.  Miller.  Their  controlling  influence  is  not  to 


520  .  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  [1872. 

be  referred  so  much  to  their  learning,  or  to  their  superior 
abilities,  as  to  their  character  and  principles. 

"  It  was  of  course  not  peculiar  to  them  that  they  were 
sincere,*  spiritual,  Christian  men.  This  may  be  said  of 
the  founders  of  all  our  Theological  Seminaries.  But 
there  are  different  types  of  religion  even  among  true  be- 
lievers. The  religion  of  St.  Bernard  and  of  John  Wesley, 
of  Jeremy  Taylor,  and  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  although 
essentially  the  same,  had  in  each  case  its  peculiar  charac- 
ter. Every  great  historical  Church  has  its  own  type  of 
piety.  As  there  are  three  persons  in  the  Trinity,  the 
Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  so  there  appear  to 
be  three  general  forms  of  religion  among  evangelical 
Christians.  There  are  some  whose  religious  experience 
is  determined  mainly  by  what  is  taught  in  the  Scriptures 
concerning  the  Holy  Spirit.  They  dwell  upon  his  inward 
work  on  the  heart,  on  his  indwelling,  his  illumination,  on 
his  life-giving  power;  they  yield  themselves  passively  to 
his  influence  to  exalt  them  into  fellowship  with  God.  Such 
men  are  disposed  more  or  less  to  mysticism. 

"  There  are  others  whose  religious  life  is  determined 
more  by  their  relation  to  the  Father,  to  God  as  God ;  who 
look  upon  Him  as  a  sovereign,  or  law-giver;  who  dwell 
upon  the  grounds  of  obligation,  upon  responsibility  and 
ability,  and  upon  the  subjective  change  by  which  the 
sinner  passes  from  a  state  of  rebellion  to  that  of  obedience. 

"Then  there  are  those  in  whom  the  form  of  religion,  as 
Dr.  Boardman  has  said,  is  distinctly  Christological.  I  see 
around  me  Alumni  whose  heads  are  as  grey  as  my  own. 
They  will  unite  with  me  in  testifying  that  this  is  the  form 
of  religion  in  which  we  were  trained.  While  our  teachers 
did  not  dissuade  us  from  looking  within  and  searching  for 
evidences  of  the  Spirit's  work  in  the  heart,  they  constantly 
directed  us  to  look  only  unto  Jesus — Jehovah  Jesus — Him 
in  whom  are  united  all  that  is  infinite  and  awful  indicated 
by  the  name  Jehovah;  and  all  that  is  human,  and  tender, 


V 

MT.  74.]  HIS  SEMI-  CENTENNIAL.  5  2 1 

and  sympathetic,  forbearing  and  loving,  implied  in  the 
name  Jesus.  If  any  student  went  to  Dr.  Alexander,  in  a 
state  of  despondence,  the  venerable  man  was  sure  to  tell 
him,  '  Look  not  so  much  within.  Look  to  Christ.  Dwell 
on  his  person,  on  his  work,  on  his  promises,  and  devote 
yourself  to  his  service,  and  you  will  soon  find  peace.' 

"  When  I  was  about  leaving  Berlin  on  my  return  to 
America,  the  friends  whom  God  had  given  me  in  that  city 
were  kind  enough  to  send  me  an  Album,  in  which  they  had 
severally  written  their  names,  and  a  few  lines  as  remarks. 
What  Neander  wrote  was  in  Greek,  and  included  these 
words  :  OuSev  ev  ka'JTw,  nothing  in  ourselflv  Kopia)  Ttdvra,  all 
things  in  the  Lord ;  <j>  fj.bvw  dooXeuztv  doza  xal  xa'jfflfjta,  whom 
alone  to  serve  is  a  glory  and  a  joy.  These  words  our  old 
professors  would  have  inscribed  in  letters  of  gold  over  the 
portals  of  this  Seminary,  there  to  remain  in  undiminished 
brightness  as  long  as  the  name  of  Princeton  lingers  in  the 
memory  of  man. 

"Again,  Drs.  Alexander  and  Miller  were  not  speculative\ 
men.  They  were  not  given  to  new  methods  or  new  theories. 
They  were  content  with  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the 
saints.  I  am  not  afraid  to  say  that  a  new  idea  never 
originated  in  this  Seminary.  Their  theological  method  was 
very  simple.  The  Bible  is  the  word  of  God.  That  is  to  be 
assumed  or  proved.  If  granted ;  then  it  follows,  that  what 
the  Bible  says,  God  says.  That  ends  the  matter. 

"  There  recently  resided  in  this  village  a  venerable  lady, 
as  distinguished  for  her  strength  of  character  as  for  her 
piety.  A  sceptical  friend  once  said  fo  her,  '  My  dear 
madam,  it  is  impossible  that  a  woman  of  your  sense  can  be- 
lieve that  story  in  the  Bible,  about  the  whale  swallowing 
Jonah.'  She  replied  with  emphasis,  '  Judge,  if  the  Bible 
said  that  Jonah  swallowed  the  whale,  I  would  believe  it.' 
That  may  have  been  said  by  others  ;  I  know  it  was  said  by 
her.  I  am  not  authorized  to  affirm  that  Dr.  Alexander 
would  say  the  same  thing.  But  he  would  come  pretty  near 


5 2 2  \  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  [i8?2. 

it.  And  he  is  no  true  Princetonian  who  will  not  come  as 
near  to  it  as  he  can.  jp 

"  But  admitting  that  the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God,  there 
are  different  principles  of  interpretation  which  may  be  ap- 
plied to  it.  Instead  of  understanding  it  in  its  plain  historical 
sense,  there  are  those  who  say  that  the  letter  killeth,  the 
spirit  maketh  alive ;  that  the  literal  sense  amounts  to  no- 
thing ;  that  it  is  the  hidden  mystical  sense  which  alone  is  of 
value.  Others  adopt  what  may  be  called  the  philosophical 
method.  They  admit  that  there  are  doctrines  in  the  Bible, 
which  are  the  objects  of  faith  in  the  common  people ;  but 
these  are  only  the  forms  under  which  lie  abstract  truths, 
which  it  is  the  business  of  the  philosopher  to  elicit.  He 
throws  the  doctrinal  formulas  of  Christianity  into  his  retort 
and  transmutes  them  into  gas ;  thus  losing  the  substance 
with  the  form.  Thus  the  doctrine  of  Providence,  or  the 
control  of  all  events  by  an  extramundane,  personal  God, 
who  governs  by  his  voluntary  agency  the  operations  of 
second  causes,  working  with  them  or  without  them,  so  that 
it  rains  at  one  time  and  not  at  another,  according  to  his 
good  pleasure;  all  this  is  evaporated  into  cosmical  arrange- 
ments, leaving  us  no  other  God  to  pray  to  than  the  forces 
of  nature.  The  same  principle  is  applied  to  the  doctrines  of 
redemption.  We  were  taught  by  our  venerable  fathers  to 
take  the  Bible  in  the  sense  in  which  it  was  plainly  intended 
to  be  understood. 

"  The  principles  above  stated  are  those  on  which  those 
who  founded  this  Institution  acted.  These  are  the  principles 
which  have  determined  its  character,  and  give  it  its  hold  on 
the  hearts  of  its  Alumni. 

"  Brethren,  I  said  I  am  an  Alumnus.  I  know  the  feelings 
with  which  you  revisit  your  Alma  Mater.  Those  feelings 
are  very  complex,  including  those  with  which  children  re- 
turn to  the  home  of  their  childhood,  and  those  with  which 
a  man,  with  uncovered  head  and  unsandaled  feet,  enters  the 
cemetery  of  his  fathers.  Here  are  the  tombs  of  Dickinson 


^T.  74.]  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  523 

and  Burr,  of  Edwards,  of  Davies  and  of  their  illustrious  suc- 
cessors in  the  presidency  of  our  sister-institution.  Here  lie 
the  ashes  of  Archibald  Alexander  and  of  Samuel  Miller. 
The  memory  of  these  men  constitutes  the  aureola  which 
surrounds  the  brows  of  Princeton,  a  glory  which  excites  no 
envy,  and  yet  attracts  all  eyes." 

After  the  benediction  had  been  pronounced  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Musgrave,  of  Philadelphia,  the  meeting  of  the  Alumni 
was  called  to  order,  a  constitution  adopted,  and  the  Rev. 
John  C.  Backus,  D.  D.,  of  Baltimore,  was  chosen  President, 
and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  E.  Schenck,  Secretary.  After  a 
public  dinner,  the  Alumni  Association  met  again  at  3.30  P. 
M.,  in  the  Church,  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  congratulatory 
speeches  from  representative  delegations,  and  receiving 
written  addresses  from  friends  not  present. 

Speeches  were  made  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Porter,  D.  D.,  LL. 
D.,  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  as  a  special  representative  of  the 
Assembly's  College  in  that  city;  by  the  Rev.  James  M'Cosh, 
D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  President  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  as 
the  appointed  representative  of  the  theological  faculties  of 
the  Free  Church,  United  Presbyterian  and  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian Churches  of  Scotland;  by  the  Rev.  Hugh  Smyth, 
of  Whitehouse,  near  Belfast,  Ireland,  as  the  appointed  repre- 
sentative of  Magee  College,  Londonderry,  Ireland ;  by  the 
Rev.  Henry  B.  Smith,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  as  the  representative 
of  Union  Theological  Seminary,  N.  Y.  City ;  by  the  Rev. 
Melancthon  W.  Jacobus,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  as  representative 
of  the  faculty  of  the  Western  Theological  Seminary, 
Allegheny  City,  Pennsylvania ;  by  Professor  Egbert  C. 
Smyth,  D.  D.,  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  Andover, 
Massachusetts ;  by  Rev.  Theodore  D.  Woolsey,  D.  D., 
LL.  D.,  Ex-President  of  Yale  College;  by  the  Rev.  R.  S. 
Vermilye,  D.  D.,  of  Hartford,  Professor  in  the  Theological 
Institute  of  Connecticut ;  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Cooper,  D. 
D.,  Professor  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Theological  Semin- 
ary, Allegheny  City,  Penna. ;  by  the  Rev.  Charles  P.  Krauth, 


524  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  [1872. 

D.  D.,  of  Philadelphia,  Professor  in  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church;  by  the  Rev. 
Francis  L.  Patton,  Professor  in  the  Presbyterian  Seminary 
of  the  North-west;  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Packard,  D.  D., 
Professor  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Theological  Seminary 
of  Virginia ;  by  the  Rev.  E.  P.  Rodgers,  as  representative  of 
the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church,  and  the  faculty  of  the  Rut- 
ger's  Theological  Seminary,  New  Brunswick,  N.  J. ;  by  Rev. 
S.  H.  Kellogg,  D.  D.,  Professor  in  the  Presbyterian  Theolo- 
gical Training  School,  Allahabad,  Northern  India ;  and  by 
his  classmate  Doctor  Ravaud  K.  Rodgers,  and  by  Doctor 
Irenaeus  Prime  of  the  New  York  Observer,  and  the  Rev. 
Alfred  Nevin,  D.  D.,  as  the  representative  of  the  Alumni  of 
the  Allegheny  Theological  Seminary. 

Deputations  were  also  present  from  the  Baptist  Theolo- 
gical Seminary,  Newton,  Mass. ;  from  the  Reformed  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  New  Brunswick ;  from  the  United 
Presbyterian  Seminary  at  Newburgh,  N.  Y. ;  from  the  Drew 
Theological  Seminary  at  Madison,  N.  J.,  and  the  Crozer 
Theological  Seminary  at  Upland,  Pa.  The  Universities  of 
the  City  of  New  York  and  of  Pennsylvania,  Union,  Lafay- 
ette, Rutger's,  and  Bowdoin  Colleges  also  were  represented 
by  their  Presidents,  or  other  members  of  their  Faculties. 

Letters  were  presented  from  the  Faculties  of  Belfast 
Presbyterian  College,  signed  in  their  behalf  by  W.  D.  Killen, 
D.  D.,  President  of  the  Faculty ;  from  the  Theological  Pro- 
fessors of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  Scotland, 
signed  by  Wm.  H.  Goold,  D.  D.,  Wm.  Binny,  D.  D.,  and 
Wm.  Symington;  from  .the  United  Presbyterian  Presbytery 
of  Edinburgh,  signed  by  Wm.  Reid,  Moderator,  and  Wm. 
Bruce,  Clerk.  Also  the  following,  (given  as  a  specimen) : 

To  the  REV.  CHARLES  HODGE,  D.  D.,  Princeton,  New  Jersey. 

REVEREND  SIR, — We,  the  Principals  and  Professors  of  the  Theo- 
logical Faculties  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  at  Edinburgh, 
Glasgow  and  Aberdeen,  desire  to  offer  our  most  cordial  congratula- 


/EX.  74-] 


HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL. 


525 


tions  to  you  on  your  entrance  on  the  fiftieth  year  of  your  Professor- 
ship in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton. 

We  only  express  to  yourself  what,  on  occasions  without  number, 
we  have  expressed  to  others,  when  we  say  that  we  regard  your  ser- 
vices in  the  cause  of  revealed  truth,  extending  over  half  a  century,  as 
of  inestimable  value,  and  that  we  look  on  you  as  one  of  the  chief  in- 
struments raised  up  by  the  Head  of  the  Church,  in  these  times  of 
doubt  and  contention,  for  maintaining  in  its  purity  the  faith  once  de- 
livered to  the  saints. 

While  the  Princeton  Review,  under  your  management,  has  con- 
tinued from  year  to  year  to  bear  testimony  fearlessly,  yet  firmly,  for 
the  truths  of  God's  Word,  and  to  commend  them  alike  to  the  under- 
standing and  the  conscience,  and  while  your  Commentaries  have 
placed  these  truths  in  a  similar  light  before  the  mass  of  readers,  your 
Systematic  Theology,  the  crown  of  your  labors,  has  brought  together 
the  invaluable  information  and  reasoning  of  your  Articles  and  Lec- 
tures, and  forms  a  Treasury  of  Evangelical  truth  expressed  in  a  spirit 
eminently  calm  and  Christian,  which  will  extend  still  more  widely 
the  wholesome  influence  of  your  life  and  labors. 

We  congratulate  you  further  on  the  honorable  and  distinguished 
place  which  you  hold  in  the  esteem  of  the  whole  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  of  all  churches  that  prize  Evangelical  truth, — on  the  affectionate 
regard  so  warmly  cherished  for  you  by  your  students  both  past  and 
present, — and  on  the  happy  domestic  influence  which  through  God's 
blessing,  has  given  to  the  Church  sons  like-minded  with  yourself, 
following  in  your  footsteps,  and  aiding  in  your  work. 

It  is  our  earnest  prayer,  and  that  of  the  whole  church  with  which 
we  are  connected,  that  you  may  yet  long  be  spared  to  your  family,  to 
the  Seminary,  and  the  Church  universal,  and  eminently  blessed  in 
such  further  labors  as  your  strength  may  enable  you  to  undertake, 
and  that  in  God's  good  time  an  entrance  may  be  ministered  to  you 
abundantly  into  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ. 


(Edinburgh.} 


ROBERT  S.  CANDLISH,  D.  D., 

Principal  of  the  New  College,  Edinburgh. 

ALEXANDER  DUFF,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 

Professor  of  Evangelistic  Theology. 

GEORGE  SMEATON,  D.  D., 

Professor  of  Exegetical  Theology. 

ROBERT  RAINY,  D.  D., 

Professor  of  Church   History. 


A.  B  DAVIDSON,  LL.  D.,  D.  D., 

Professor  of  Hebrew,  etc. 
JAMES   MAcGREGOR,  D.  D. 

Professor  of  Systematic  Theology. 
WILLIAM  G.  BLAIKIE,  D.  D.  LL.  D. 
Professor    of    Apologetic    and    Pastoral 

Theology. 

JOHN  DUNS.  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.  E., 
Professor  of  Natural  Science 


526 


HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL. 


[1872. 


(Glasgow  aud  Aberdeen,") 


PATRICK  FAIRBAIRN,  D.  D., 

Principal  of  Free  Church  College,  Glas- 
gow. 

GEORGE  C.  M.  DOUGLAS,  D.  D., 

Professor  of  Hebrew  in  the  F.  C.  College, 
Glasgow. 

ISLAY  BURNS,  D.  D., 

Professor  of  Divinity,  F  C.  College,  Glas- 
gow. 


JAMES  LUMSDUN,  D.  D., 

Principal  and  Senior  Professor  of  Theo- 
logy, Free  Church  College,  Aberdeen. 
DAVID  BROWN,  D.  D. 

(Princeton  and  Aberdeen,) 
Professor  of  Theology  and  Church  His- 
tory, Aberdeen. 
WM.  ROBERTSON  SMITH, 

Professor  of  Hebrew,  etc..  Free  Church 
College. 


(This  address  was  elegantly  engrossed  on  vellum  and  forwarded  in  a  purple  morocco  case.) 

Also  from  the  Faculty  of  Magee  Presbyterian  College, 
Londonderry,  Ireland,  signed  by  Thomas  Witherow, 
Richard  Smyth,  James  G.  Shaw,  John  J.  Given,  J.  T. 
McGaw,  Henry  Sheil  McKee  and  J.  R.  Leebody.  From 
the  Theological  Faculty  of  the  University  of  Edinburgh* 
signed  in  their  behalf  by  the  Dean,  Thos.  J.  Crawford,  D.  D. 
From  the  Professors  of  Theology  in  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Scotland,  signed  by  James  Harper,  D.  D.,  N. 
McMichael,  D.  D.,  John  Eadie,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  and  John 
Cairns,  D.  D.  Also  from  the  Theological  Seminaries  at 
Bangor,  Boston,  New  Haven,  Auburn,  the  Divinity  School 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  at  Philadelphia,  the 
Lutheran  Theological  Seminary  at  Gettysburg,  the  United 
Presbyterian  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  the  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  Virginia,  from  the  Faculty  and  from  a 
Committee  of  the  Students  of  the  Seminary  at  Columbia,  S. 
C.,  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary  at  Greenville, 
S.  C.,  the  Theological  Department  of  Cumberland  Univer- 
sity at  Lebanon,  Tenn.,  Danville  Theological  Seminary,  Ohio, 
and  the  youngest  born  of  all  our  Seminaries,  the  Presbyte- 
rian Seminary  at  San  Francisco,  Cal.  From  Williams  and 
Amherst  Colleges,  Mass.,  and  from  Dartmouth,  New  Hamp- 
shire, from  Hampden  Sidney  College,  Virginia,  and  West- 
minster College,  Missouri,  and  from  the  University  of  Mis- 
sissippi, from  the  venerable  Gardiner  Spring,  New  York 
City,  from  many  Alumni  of  Princeton  in  the  Northwest, 
and  from  Chiengmai,  North  Laos,  Farther  India. 


^T.  74-]  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  $2? 

The  letter  from  his  life-long  friend,  Bishop  M'llvaine, 
was  as  follows: 

CINCINNATI,  March  8,  1872. 

.  ,  .  As  one  of  the  associates  and  friends  of  Dr.  Hodge,  than 
whom  there  can  be  but  very  few  living  whose  loving  associations 
began  so  early,  or  under  circumstances  so  calculated  to  make  it 
abiding,  I  cannot  withhold  an  expression  of  lively  interest  in  the  con- 
templated celebration,  as  a  rendering  of  honor  to  whom  it  is  most 
justly  due,  and  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  to  the  fountain  of  all  wis- 
dom and  grace  for  having  given  to  His  Church  on  earth  for  so  many 
years  a  light  so  bright  and  shining. 

It  is  now  some  fifty-eight  years  since,  while  students  together  in  the 
College  of  my  native  State,  our  friendship  began  ;  and  nearly  as 
many  years  since,  by  the  grace  of  God  making  us  new  creatures  in 
Christ  Jesus,  we  became  brethren  one  of  another,  in  a  very  near  and 
affectionate  association.  We  were  then,  as  now,  of  different  churches 
in  the  one  everliving  Church  of  Christ ;  but  I  am  thankful  to  be  able 
to  say,  that  no  dividing  lines  have  ever  touched  our  oneness  of  heart, 
or  hindered  the  consciousness  and  manifestation  of  that  confiding 
Christian  attachment  with  which  our  religious  life  began. 

It  is  under  these  circumstances  that  I  regard  with  great  pleasure 
the  intended  meeting  and  its  object.  It  is  very  meet  and  right  thus 
to  acknowledge  the  goodness  of  God  in  having  given  and  preserved 
to  the  work  of  His  truth  in  the  earth,  during  so  many  years  of  exact- 
ing study  and  labor,  a  teacher  so  efficient  and  beloved,  and  an  author 
so  enlightened  and  wise  ;  at  whose  lips  so  many  have  learned  how  to 
make  known  and  defend  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  and  for  whose  writings 
of  eminent  learning  and  power,  the  whole  Church  is  deeply  indebted 
to  the  grace  which  made  him  sufficient  for  such  valuable  service. 

Desiring  my  respectful  and  fraternal  regards  to  those  who  shall 
meet  together  on  the  24th  of  April,  and  hoping  to  meet  them  in  that 
blessed  Assembly  and  Communion  of  which  it  will  be  the  universal 
joy  to  ascribe  all  honor  and  glory  "to  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne 
and  to  the  Lamb  forever  and  ever,"  I  remain 

Your  friend  and  brother, 

CHAS.  P.  MclLVAiNE. 

All  the  addresses  and  letters  were  dignified  as  well  as 
full  of  kindness  and  respect.  The  testimony  of  Dr. 
Charles  P.  Krauth,  as  the  most  active  as  well  as  earnest 
champion  of  Lutheranism  in  America,  "  to  the  candor,  love 


528  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  [1872. 

of  truth,  and  perfect  fairness  which  characterized  all  Dr. 
Hodge's  dealings  "  with  the  doctrines  of  Churches  differing 
from  his  own,  was  the  one  particular  personal  vindication 
to  which  Dr.  Hodge  referred  afterwards  with  the  most 
emphatic  satisfaction. 

During  the  afternoon,  while  these  congratulatory  ad- 
dresses were  being  made  Dr.  Hodge  remained  for  the  most 
part  out  of  sight,  sitting  or  reclining  on  the  sofa  in  the 
pulpit  behind  the  stage.  Ex-President,  Theodore  D. 
Woolsey,  LL.  D.,  stood  on  the  stage  close  by  the  side  of 
the  pulpit  where  Dr.  Hodge  lay.  When  the  former  spoke 
tenderly  of  the  affection  he  had  cherished  for  his  friend 
ever  since  1828  when  the  latter  had  ministered  words  of 
Christian  "  cheer,  comfort  and  of  strength  "  to  his  heart, 
then  in  darkness,  Dr.  Hodge  suddenly  rose  and  interrup- 
ted him  with  a  kiss. 

Dr.  Boardman  said  to  him,  while  he  was  lying  there,  as 
the  long  series  of  laudatory  addresses  closed,  "  How  did 
you  stand  all  that  ?"  "  Why,"  said  he,  with  a  pleasant 
smile,  "  very  quietly.  It  didn't  seem  at  all  to  be  me  they 
were  talking  about.  I  heard  it  all  as  of  some  other  man." 

The  editor  of  the  New  York  Observer  wrote,  "  It  was  a 
day  of  rare  and  memorable  interest  to  the  graduates  who 
returned  to  the  arms  of  their  old  mother,  meeting  their 
surviving  teacher  and  one  another,  standing  again  by  the 
graves  of  their  departed  and  venerated  professors.  Of  the 
first  class,  that  of  1812-13,  onty  one  survives,  James  Hill 
Parmelee  of  Ohio ;  of  the  class  of  1813-14  only  one,  John 
Ross  of  Indiana  ;  of  1814-15,  only  one,  Thomas  Alexander 
of  Indiana.  None  of  these  were  present.  Of  the  class 
of  1815-16  two  live,  Salmon  Strong  and  Gilbert  Morgan; 
the  latter  was  present  in  a  cheerful,  bright  old  age.  In  the 
next  class  was  CHARLES  HODGE,  who  entered  the  Seminary 
in  1816,  fifty-six  years  ago.  Of  his  class  George  S.  Board- 
man, Benjamin  Gildersleeve,  Samuel  S.  Hatch,  John  Johns, 
Aaron  D.  Lane,  Constant  Southworth,  William  B.  Sprague, 


JET.  74.]  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  529 

and  Thomas  S.  Wickes  are  among  the  living.  Of  those 
who  are  now  above  the  stars,  and  who  are  well  known  in 
the  Church,  from  that  class,  were  Artemas  Boies,  William 
Chester,  Sylvester  Easton,  John  Goldsmith,  William  James, 
William  Nevins,  Absalom  Peters,  William  C.  Woodbridge 
and  Henry  Woodward.  Taking  the  dead  and  the  living  it 
was  certainly  a  remarkable  class.  In  the  next  was  Bishop 
Mcllvaine,  Caruthers,  Coe,  Crane,  Austin,  Dickinson,  David 
Magie,  S.  S.  Smucker  and  Thomas  M.  Strong. 

"  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  has  given  instructions 
in  her  halls  to  2969  men,  and  of  these  2700  (before  his 
death  in  1878  it  amounted  to  over  3000),  have  sat  at  the 
feet  of  Dr.  Hodge  i! !  Among  them  are  men  who  have  been 
the  shining  lights  of  the  Church,  and  yet  they  are  not  the 
brightest  stars  in  his  crown.  Multitudes  of  men  unknown 
to  fame ;  of  whom  some  have  taken  their  lives  in  their 
hands  and  gone  far  hence  to  the  heathen,  and  others  in 
retired  parishes  who  have  kept  the  faith  and  fed  the  hopes 
of  the  Church,  turning  many  sinners  to  righteousness  and 
guiding  them  to  heaven,  will  in  the  day  when  the  jewelry 
of  God  is  gathered,  be  as  brilliant  crowns  of  Dr.  Hodge's 
rejoicing,  as  those  who  have  stood  in  what  is  called  the 
bright  places  of  Israel. 

"Then  who  can  estimate  the  extent  of  that  one  man's 
power  over  the  human  mind.  And  as  that  power  has  been 
in  moral  influence  mainly,  what  estimate  can  be  put  on  its 
effect  on  the  destiny  of  the  country  and  of  individual  souls. 
His  eye  is  not  yet  dim,  nor  his  natural  force  abated.  He 
still  discharges  every  duty  with  ability  and  regularity.  He 
is  cheerful,  fond  of  that  humor  that  good  men  always  enjoy, 
and  which  tends  to  longevity,  usefulness  here  and  hereafter. 
In  the  midst  of  his  family  and  friends  he  is  playful,  bright 
and  genial,  and  takes  the  way  of  life  as  comfortably  as  any 
other  intellectual  and  laborious  man.  His  form  is  portly, 
his  face  ruddy,  his  eye  lighted  with  love,  and  his  voice  as 
sweet  as  in  youth." 
34 


53O  HIS  SEMI-CENTENNIAL.  [1872. 

The  evening  was  set  apart  to  a  reception  of  the  friends 
of  Dr.  Hodge  from  all  parts  of  the  land,  and  from  abroad, 
at  his  own  residence.  Over  the  doors  were  significant 
figures  1822-1872.  The  Seminary  building  was  illumi- 
nated, and  in  every  becoming  way  the  affection  and  admira- 
tion of  the  Alumni  for  their  venerated  preceptor  was  grace- 
fully manifested,  and  gratefully  accepted. 

In  his  private  journal,  under  date,  he  notices  the  fact  that 
his  aged  brother,  now  blind,  and  all  his  children,  and  all 
his  own  children  and  grand-children  were  gathered  around 
him  at  the  time.  "  April  24th.  The  apex  of  my  life.  The 
Semi-centenary  Anniversary  of  my  connection  with  the 
Seminary  as  Professor.  The  day,  by  the  blessing  of  God, 
was  fine,  and  the  celebration  a  wonderful  success.  The  at- 
tendance of  Alumni  very  large ;  delegations  of  other  institu- 
tions numerous,  and  of  the  highest  character ;  the  con- 
gratulations from  all  at  home  and  abroad  of  the  most 
gratifying  kind,  altogether  affording  an  imposing  and 
most  affecting  testimony  of  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  of 
common  love  to  the  same  gospel,  and  to  our  common 
God  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

HIS  LAST  YEARS,  FROM   1 8/2  TO  HIS  DEATH,  JUNE  IQTH,   1 8/8. 


HIS  APPEARANCE  AND  HABIT  OF  MIND— THE  OBJECT  OF  GENERAL  LOVE,  IN 
HIS  FAMILY,  THE  SEMINARY  AND  AMONG  HIS  STUDENTS— THE  DEATH  OF 
HIS  BROTHER,  DR.  H.  L.  HODGE,  OF  PHILADELPHIA — DR.  WILLIAM  GOOD- 
ELL'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  HIM— THE  VISIT  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEM- 
BLY OF  1872  TO  WASHINGTON — THE  EVANGELICAL  ALLIANCE,  NEW  YORK, 
1873 — HISTORICAL  SERMON,  DELIVERED  AT  THE  RE-OPENING  OF  THE  CHA- 
PEL OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,  IN  PRINCETON,  SEPT.  27TH,  1874 — 
LATEST  CORRESPONDENCE  AND  INTERVIEWS  WITH  HIS  FRIEND,  BISHOP 
JOHNS — THE  APPOINTMENT  OF  HIS  ASSISTANT  AND  SUCCESSOR — HIS 
EIGHTIETH  BIRTH-DAY — HIS  WRITINGS  DURING  THESE  LAST  YEARS. 

FROM  this  time  to  the  end,  he  was  an  old  man  visibly 
ripening  for  another  life.  Compared  with  most  men, 
and  considering  his  sedentary  life  and  the  amount  of  intel- 
lectual work  he  had  accomplished,  he  was,  with  good  rea- 
son, regarded  as  having  survived  his  years  in  a  condition  of 
excellent  preservation.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  attacks 
of  acute  disease,  his  general  health  was  very  good.  His 
complexion,  always  fair,  was  beautiful  in  its  perfect  clearness 
and  soft  roseate  brightness.  His  blue  eyes  became  more  and 
more  sweet  in  their  expression,  and  together  with  his  strong 
yet  gentle  and  flexible  mouth  overflowed  with  benevolence 
and  humor,  or  at  times  with  reverence  and  melting  devo- 
tion and  love.  As  his  old  friend,  ex-president  Woolsey, 
had  wished  for  him  at  his  semi-centennial,  he  had  "  a  sweet 
old  age."  No  phrase  could  express  it  more  perfectly.  The 
controversies  were  all  past.  The  old  warrior  hung  his 
arms  upon  the  wall,  as  he  rested  under  the  clear  skies  of 

531 


532  HIS  LAST  YEARS.  [1872-78. 

universal  peace.  He  still  followed  and  took  interest  in  the 
conflict  of  opinion.  But  his  own  part  was  done.  Although 
delayed  for  a  time,  the  complete  and  universal  victory  of  the 
cause,  for  which  he  had  so  long  contended,  was  absolutely 
sure.  His  faith  was  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  and 
for  him  the  triumph  was  virtually  come.  All  who  loved 
Christ  were  heartily  loved  and  cherished  by  him.  He  be- 
lieved in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church,  and  in  the  Communion 
of  Saints.  He  wrote  in  pencil  with  trembling  lines  on  one 
of  his  "  Conference  Papers,"  not  long  before  his  end,  that  he 
believed  that  the  vast  majority  of  the  human  race  were  to 
share  the  beatitudes  and  glories  of  his  Lord's  redemption. 
He  was  conscious  of  past  sins  and  of  present  imperfections, 
but  where  sin  had  abounded  grace  did  much  more  abound. 
More  and  more  habitually  he  looked  upward  instead  of  in- 
ward. His  heart  was  filled  with  hope  and  joy,  as  his  face 
was  made  to  shine  by  Him  who  was  "the  health  of  his 
countenance,  and  his  God."  He  had  no  disappointments, 
no  vain  regrets ;  the  past  with  all  its  contents  he  offered 
through  Christ  to  God.  He  had  no  fears  for  the  future, 
for  there  is  no  fear  in  love ;  perfect  love  had  cast  out  all  fear. 
He  had  no  jealousies ;  he  retained  the  uneasy  sense  of  no 
old  wounds  nor  injuries.  He  loved  all  in  the  sense  of  bene- 
volence, and  in  the  higher  sense  he  loved  all  the  brethren, 
admiring  and  rejoicing  in  their  graces  and  sympathizing  in 
their  conflicts  and  their  joys.  And  all  parties,  as  far  as  he 
was  known,  came  to.  love  him.  As  he  once  said  of  his 
friend,  Dr.  John  McLean,  he  also  became  the  best  beloved 
man  in  any  circle  in  which  he  was  embraced.  The  odium 
theologicitm,  with  which  he  had  been  credited,  both  as  subject 
and  occasion,  met  with  a  strange  transfiguration.  The  storms 
of  the  day  made  the  peace  and  beauty  of  the  setting  sun 
more  rich  and  wonderful.  Supreme  devotion  to  truth  was 
once  again  proven  to  be  a  genuine  form  of  supreme  love  to 
God  and  man. 

There  is  always  something  essentially  pathetic  even  in  the 


JET.  74-80.]  HIS  LAST  YEARS.  533 

brightest  and  balmiest  late  autumnal  day.  To  the  eye  of 
faith  it  is  the  season  which  prepares  after  the  interval  of  a 
short  sleep  in  winter,  for  a  new  and  more  glorious  spring. 
But  to  the  eye  of  sense,  it  is,  nevertheless,  the  end  of  the 
year.  So  was  it  with  the  autumn  of  this  life.  Though  he 
was  generally  well,  he  was  weak,  and  often  very  weary. 
Though  he  was  beautiful,  it  was  the  wasting  beauty  of  the 
fading  leaf.  And  this  was  in  perfect  accord  with  the  spirit 
of  his  own  mind.  Though  he  reclined  with  unwavering 
confidence  upon  a  supernatural  hope,  his  spirit  and  life 
were  eminently  natural.  Though  he  had  no  fear,  yet  he  had 
no  desire  to  die.  He  looked  beyond  the  world  rather  than 
rose  entirely  above  it.  His  interest  in  all  human  things 
was  genuine  and  strong,  and  his  cheerfulness  was  never  faM- 
ing,  yet  often  tinged  with  a  pathetic  wistfulness,  arising 
from  an  habitual  sense  of  the  imminence  of  his  own  depart- 
ure. He  delighted  more  and  more  in  reminiscences  of  past 
events  and  persons.  The  friends  of  his  early  years  were 
all  gone,  but  their  memory  was  very  precious.  The  im- 
provements which,  during  these  last  years  were  so  exten- 
sively made  in  the  buildings  of  the  College  and  Seminary, 
interested  him  exceedingly,  and  he  was  glad  that  he  was  pri- 
vileged to  see  them  before  the  final  closing  of  his  eyes  on  all 
earthly  scenes.  But  his  great  delight  was  in  his  grand-child- 
ren. Two  families  of  them  lived  in  the  same  village  with  him, 
and  made  as  free  of  his  study  and  of  the  arms  of  his  great 
chair  as  his  own  children  had  done  a  generation  earlier. 
All  their  smart  sayings  were  reported  to  him,  and  repeated 
by  him  with  the  greatest  zest.  He  knew  and  maintained 
all  of  their  respective  points  of  excellence  and  superiority 
with  the  zeal  of  a  partisan.  He  was  always  on  the  alert  in 
providing  presents  for  them  on  all  their  anniversaries  of 
birth-days  and  Christmas,  and  in  selecting  and  dispatching 
appropriate  St.  Valentines  with  a  gleeful  delight  equal  and 
like  to  that  of  the  young  recipients  themselves.  His  love 
was  faithfully  returned  by  them  all,  and  none,  except  the 


534  HIS  LAST  YEARS.  [1872-78. 

youngest,  will  ever  forget  the  frequent  and  delightful  occa- 
sions when  all  the  resident  family  gathered  with  loving 
reverence  around  grandfather's  chair. 

Before  he  died  he  was  for  some  years  the  oldest  survivor 
of  his  entire  family  clan.  Children  and  grand-children, 
nephews,  grand-nephews  and  cousins  in  various  degrees 
looked  up  to  him  with  affection  and  pride,  and  constantly 
cheered  his  last  days  by  their  visits,  and  testimonials  of 
sympathy  and  reverence. 

This  singular  love  and  reverence  was  not  confined  to  the 
circles  of  his  kindred  or  of  his  private  friends.  It  extended 
to  his  colleagues  in  the  faculty,  to  the  younger  ministry, 
to  all  his  old  students,  and  beyond  his  own  denomination 
to  all  Christian  people  to  whom  either  his  person  or  his 
reputation  was  known. 

An  old  pupil  under  the  pseudonym  of  t(  Augustin," 
wrote  in  the  Presbyterian  May  6th,  1876:  "The  late  meet- 
ing of  the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  was  a  time  of 
refreshing  to  all  who  participated  in  it.  The  face  of  our 
dear  old  Professor  Hodge,  broke  out  constantly  into  smiles 
of  holy  joy,  as  he  sat  like  a  father  in  the  midst  of  his  sons. 
And  when  his  voice  faltered  and  the  tears  came  into  his 
eyes,  as  he  gave  his  reminiscences  of  his  classmate  and 
life-long  friend,  Bishop  Johns  (recently  dead)  or  undertook 
to  express  his  love  for  us,  and  his  interest  in  the  Seminary 
with  which  his  life  had  been  identified,  what  he  called  his 
weakness  was  stronger  than  his  words,  even  as  the  showers 
of  heaven  fall  no  less  potently  on  the  flowers  in  the  earth 
than  the  clear  shining  of  the  sun.  It  is  a  precious  and 
glorious  sight  to  behold  an  old  age  so  green  and  graceful, 
to  see  one  so  eminent  in  intellect,  so  abundant  in  labors,  so 
honored  in  the  world,  as  simple  and  tender  and  affectionate 
as  a  little  child  prepared  for  our  Father's  house  in  heaven. 
If  this  should  meet  his  eye  and  offend  him,  he  will  forgive 
it,  when  he  knows  the  pen  that  writes  it  is  dipped  in  a 
heart  that  is  melted  in  his  love." 


jer.  75.]  DEATH  OF  HIS  BROTHER.  535 

From  about  1868  to  the  year  of  his  death,  each  graduat- 
ing class  at  the  very  last  took  a  special,  personal  farewell  of 
Dr.  Hodge.  After  receiving  their  diplomas,  and  the  vale- 
dictory charge,  and  benediction  of  the  representative  of  the 
Board  of  Directors,  the  class  formed  a  circle  with  Dr. 
Hodge  at  the  centre,  in  the  middle  of  the  front  campus. 
"They  sang  (at  least  in  April,  1869)  several  verses  of  the 
hymn,  "  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name,"  and  the  verse 
of  the  missionary  hymn  beginning,  "  Shall  we  whose  souls 
are  lighted,  &c."  Then  making  a  close  ring,  each  one 
crossing  his  arms,  they  held  hand  by  hand,  and  sang 
"Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds,"  and  then  the  Long  Metre 
Doxology.  After  that,  Dr.  Hodge  pronounced  the  Bene- 
diction. He  then  shook  hands  with  each  student,  and 
each  student  shook  hands  with  all  the  others,  and  they 
separated." 

THE    DEATH    OF    HIS    BROTHER,  DR.    HUGH    L.  HODGE,  OF 
PHILADELPHIA. 

The  winter  of  1872-73  was  characterized  by  numerous 
waves  of  intense  cold,  recurring  after  intervals  of  about  ten 
days  or  two  weeks.  On  Monday,  the  twenty-fourth  of 
February,  one  of  these  periods  occurred.  Dr.  H.  L. 
Hodge,  then  in  his  ordinary  health,  and  vigorous  beyond 
most  men  of  his  age,  was  exposed  to  the  cold  while 
visiting  patients  up  to  ten  o'clock  that  night.  Upon  his 
return  to  his  home  a  letter  was  read  to  him  from  a  widow 
of  a  physician  in  Virginia,  whose  husband  had  been  a 
pupil  of  his  in  the  long-past,  in  her  poverty  appealing  to 
him  for  aid.  Late  as  the  hour  was  he  called  for  his  check- 
book, and  signed  a  check  for  her  relief.  This  was  the  last 
time  he  ever  used  his  pen.  Fit  ending  to  a  life  of  unceas- 
ing charity.  After  conversing  pleasantly  with  his  son  and 
daughter  for  a  while,  and  sitting  alone  in  his  office  as  his 
custom  was,  he  retired  to  bed  about  midnight.  He  was 
immediately  seized  with  angina  pectoris,  and  was  found  by 


536  DEA  TH  OF  HIS  BR  O  THER.  [1873. 

his  son,  also  a  physician,  in  an  unconscious  condition.  He 
was  revived,  and  kept  alive  for  twenty-six  hours,  until  all 
his  children  had  been  gathered  to  his  bedside,  by  frequent 
resort  to  artificial  respiration.  When  awake  he  was  per- 
fectly conscious,  full  of  humility,  and  love,  faith,  and  peace. 
"  Let  there  be  no  eulogy  "  was  the  only  injunction  he  lay 
upon  his  pastor.  But  innumerable  patients,  and  pupils, 
witnesses  and  beneficiaries  of  his  bounty  in  all  parts  of 
the  land,  and  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which 
he  was  the  preserver  and  second  founder,  bear  witness 
alike  to  his  wisdom  and  his  goodness,  to  his  self-denial 
and  his  munificence.  When  the  despatch  arrived  in  Prince- 
ton, on  Tuesday,  announcing  his  probably  fatal  illness,  his 
brother  Charles  was  forced  to  go  to  his  own  bed  instead 
of  to  the  bedside  of  his  brother.  And  soon  after  his 
return,  on  the  3d  of  March,  from  the  funeral,  he  was  at- 
tacked in  his  nervously  prostrated  condition,  with  a  severe 
congestion  of  the  chest,  which  came  near  being  fatal,  and 
which  confined  him  to  the  house  until  the  first  week  of 
April. 

DR.    HODGE   TO   BISHOP  JOHNS. 

PRINCETON,  March  4th,  1872. 

Dear  John  : — We  are  left  like  two  old  trees  standing  almost  alone. 
The  fewer  the  dearer.  My  brother's  death  was  entirely  unexpected. 
He  was  perfectly  well,  and  far  stronger  than  I  am.  He  was  out  attend- 
ing his  patients  all  Monday  morning,  and  what  of  late  was  unusual 
with  him,  went  out  again  in  the  afternoon,  and  remained  out  until  it 
was  so  dark  some  one  had  to  bring  him  home.  That  day  was  one  of 
the  severest  of  the  season.  It  was  that  exposure  in  the  opinion  of  his 
physicians,  killed  him,  although  its  effects  were  not  immediately  mani- 
fest. He  went  to  bed  apparently  in  his  usual  health,  but  at  mid- 
night was  heard  to  fall.  His  son,  on  reaching  the  room,  found  him 
lying  on  the  floor  unconscious.  It  was  not  apoplexy,  but  angina 
pectoris.  His  heart  had  ceased  to  act,  and  breathing  was  entirely 
suspended.  By  artificial  respiration  he  was  gradually  restored,  and 
was  entirely  himself;  his  mind  was  clear  as  ever,  and  so  continued 
until  the  end.  But  through  the  day  at  irregular  intervals  his  heart 
would  cease  to  act  and  his  breathing  ceased.  By  a  renewal  of  artifi- 


;ET.  75.]  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  DR.  H.  L.  HODGE.    537 

cial  inflation  of  the  lungs  he  would  revive  again.  This  occurred  thirty 
or  forty  times,  he  gradually  getting  weaker,  and  at  last,  twenty-six 
hours  after  the  attack,  he  finally  expired. 

The  dear  man  was  greatly  blessed.  No  one  touched  his  body  after 
his  death  but  his  sons.*  They  prepared  him  for  his  coffin,  laid  him  in 
it ;  carried  him  down  stairs,  carried  him  in  the  church,  and  carried 
him  to  his  grave  and  lowered  his  body  to  its  last  resting-place.  So 
that  a  lovely  glory  surrounded  him  to  the  last. 

Dear  John,  let  us  pray  for  each  other. 

Yours  as  ever, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

The  following  account  of  the  life  and  character  of  Dr. 
Charles  Hodge's  only  brother  and  life-long  friend  and 
benefactor,  is  extracted  from  a  Memoir  of  H.  L.  Hodge, 
M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  prepared  for  Philadelphia  County  Medical 
Society,  by  William  Goodell,  M.D.  "In  1820,  Dr.  Hodge 
returned  from  India,  but  with  means  too  limited  to  carry 
out  the  long  cherished  prosecution  of  his  studies  in  Europe. 
The  voyage  had  proved  a  commercial  failure,  but,  nothing 
daunted,  he  opened  an  office  in  Walnut  Street,  opposite 
Washington  Square.  Soon  after  he  was  elected  to  the 
Southern  Dispensary,  and,  a  few  months  later,  to  the  Phila- 
delphia Dispensary.  In  these  rich  fields  of  practice  he 
gained  much  experience,  and  acquired  those  habits  of  close 
observation  and  original  research  which  ever  after  character- 
ized him.  He  soon  became  a  man  of  mark,  for  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1821,  he  was  selected  to  teach  the  anatomical  class  of 
Prof.  Horner,  who  was  then  absent  in  Europe.  So  accepta- 
bly did  he  fill  this  position,  that  in  1823  he  was  appointed 
to  the  Lectureship  on  Surgery  in  Dr.  Chapman's  Summer 
School,  which,  in  1837,  became  a  chartered  institution, 
under  the  name  of  the  '  Medical  Institute/  Of  these  lec- 
tures he  was  justly  proud,  for  on  them  he  was  then  able  to 
spend  all  his  time  and  strength.  Old  practitioners  still 
refer  to  them  in  terms  of  high  praise. 

*  Three  Presbyterian  ministers,  one  Presbyterian  elder,  and  one  Episcopal 
minister.  Five  beautiful  and  holy  sons. 


538      J.IFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  H.  L.  HODGE.  [1796-1873. 

"In  September  of  the  same  year  he  gained  a  long- 
coveted  position  on  the  staff  of  the  Philadelphia  Hospital, 
and  his  practice  began  now  steadily  to  increase.  In 
1828,  at  the  age  of  thirty-two,  he  married  Margaret  E. 
Aspinwall,  the  daughter  of  John  Aspinwall,  a  well-known 
merchant  of  New  York  city.  From  this  union  seven  sons 
were  born,  of  whom  five  are  living.  One  is  the  well-known 
surgeon  who  bears  his  father's  name;  the  rest  are  clergy- 
men. After  a  happy  married  life  of  thirty-eight  years,  in 
1866,  this  good  wife  and  good  mother  died. 

"Thus  far,  Dr.  Hodge  had  concentrated  all  his  energy  on 
anatomy  and  surgery.  His  tastes  lay  in  these  directions; 
both  these  branches  he  had  taught  with  great  acceptance; 
as  a  surgeon,  he  was  fast  winning  his  way  to  fame.  But  a 
complete  and  very  unexpected  turn  now  took  place  in  all 
his  plans.  The  dim  oil-lamps  of  his  college  days,  his  habits 
of  late  study,  had  greatly  injured  his  eyesight,  and  com- 
pelled him  to  wear  glasses  of  very  high  power.  Year  by 
year  his  vision  so  surely  failed  that  he  was  at  last  warned  to 
direct  his  ambition  into  new  channels.  Other  circumstances 
confirmed  him  in  making  this  change.  The  health  of  Dr. 
Thomas  C.  James,  the  Professor  of  Midwifery  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  was  beginning  to  fail.  Dr.  William 
P.  Dewees,  the  heir-apparent  to  his  chair,  and  the  most 
brilliant  of  American  obstetricians,  had  long  passed  the 
noontide  of  life.  For  many  years  the  brothers  Joseph  and 
Harvey  Klapp  had  enjoyed  the  pick  of  the  midwifery  prac- 
tice of  a  rapidly-growing  city.  But,  at  this  juncture,  the 
one  died,  and  the  other  retired  to  his  secluded  country-seat 
in  the  wilds  of  West  Philadelphia.  These  accidents  and 
opportunities  at  once  determined  Dr.  Hodge  to  give  up, 
but  with  a  bitter  heart,  his  long-cherished  specialty  of  sur- 
gery for  that  of  obstetrics.  Shortly  after  making  this  de- 
cision, he  was  enabled  to  exchange  his  lectureship  of  sur- 
gery for  that  of  obstetrics,  which  the  resignation  of  Dr. 
Dewees  had  left  vacant.  He  was  also  the  winning  candi- 


'96  1873.]  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  DR.  H.  Z.  HODGE.      539 

date  in  an  excited  canvass  for  a  position  on  the  staff  of  the 
Lying-in  Department  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital. 

"  For  the  possession  of  the  empty  chair,  left  vacant  by  the 
resignation  of  Dr.  Wm.  P.  Dewees,  November,  1835,  a  bat- 
tle royal,  one  of  giants,  now  took  place.  The  struggle  lay 
between  two  such  men  as  Hugh  L.  Hodge  and  Charles  D. 
Meigs,  and  was,  therefore,  a  very  hotly  contested  one.  The 
strong  claims  of  the  rival  candidates,  and  the  very  equally 
balanced  influence  of  their  respective  friends,  made  the  issue 
doubtful.  Dr.  Hodge,  who  was  a  very  modest  man,  could 
not  be  prevailed  upon  to  visit  any  of  the  trustees.  At  last 
his  friends  refused  to  work  for  him  unless  he  did  so.  He, 
therefore,  provided  himself  with  a  list  of  their  names  and 
residences,  and  nerved  himself  up  to  this  imposed  and  dis- 
tasteful mission.  As  luck  would  have  it,  the  first  gentleman 
on  whom  he  called  was  an  upright  but  very  eccentric  Friend, 
who,  upon  learning  his  errand,  at  once  said,  '  Young  man, 
I  should  have  thought  better  of  thee,  hadst  thou  not  come.' 
In  great  confusion  the  modest  candidate  took  his  leave, 
tore  up  his  list,  and  at  once  returned  home.  That  trustee 
was  the  only  one  on  whom  he  called.  No  persuasions,  no 
entreaties,  could  thereafter  move  him  to  solicit  another  vote. 
But  his  friends,  despite  their  threats,  worked  manfully  for 
him.  Perhaps  this  very  modesty  stood  him  in  good  stead. 
At  any  rate,  he  proved  the  successful  candidate. 

"  From  the  time  of  his  election  to  the  chair  of  obstetrics 
until  his  resignation  in  1863,  no  teacher  ever  gave  a  more 
thorough  or  a  more  conscientious  course  of  lectures.  The 
strong  feature  of  his  teaching  was  not  to  display  his  know- 
ledge, but  to  impart  it.  He  possessed,  in  an  eminent  degree, 
those  essentials  of  a  good  teacher — the  subtilitas  explicandi, 
as  well  as  the  subtilitas  intelligendi.  Dependent,  as  he  was,  on 
account  of  imperfect  vision,  exclusively  upon  his  memory, 
he  yet  delivered  new  lectures  with  the  utmost  neatness  and 
precision.  There  was  no  faltering  over  a  demonstration,  no 
omission  of  a  diagram.  Although  gifted  with  a  fluent 


540  LIRE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  DR.  //.  L.  HODGE.  ['96-1873. 

delivery,  he  used  no  trope  or  figure,  and  made  no  effort  at 
oratorical  display.  So  pure-minded  was  he,  and  so  far 
removed  from  making  "  points " — as  they  are  technically 
called — that,  when  some  madcap  student  distorted  an  acci- 
dental juxtaposition  of  words  into  a  double  entendre,  his  face 
flushed  up  with  vexation.  Over  the  young  men  who  flocked 
to  hear  him,  his  influence  was  great  and  good.  At  the 
beginning  and  the  end  of  each  curriculum,  they  listened, 
with  respectful  and  often  tearful  attention,  to  his  happy 
words  of  greeting  and  tender  words  of  parting.  What 
graduate  of  those  days  can  ever  efface  from  his  memory  that 
gracious  manner  which  seemed  to  convey  a  benediction, 
and  that  halo  of  goodness  which  floated  about  him  ?  Men 
will  come,  and  men  will  go,  but  we  shall  never  see  his  like 
again. 

"  During  a  large  portion  of  Dr.  Hodge's  life,  the  pressure 
of  his  professional  engagements  was  so  great  as  to  prevent 
him  from  writing  anything  besides  his  early  lectures  on 
surgery  and  those  on  obstetrics.  But  during  his  early  pro- 
fessional career  he  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  North 
American  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal,  to  which  he  con- 
tributed many  reviews  and  original  papers.  Later  in  life 
imperfect  vision  hindered  Dr.  Hodge  from  becoming  a  pro- 
lific writer.  Besides  several  articles  written  for  various 
medical  journals,  he  published  a  memoir  of  Dr.  James,  a 
eulogium  on  Dr.  Dewees,  and  a  number  of  introductory  lec- 
tures. One  of  these  on  criminal  abortion,  after  being  re- 
printed several  times,  was  published  with  some  additions 
under  the  title  of "  Foeticide."  In  1860  he  published  his 
work  on  "Diseases  Peculiar  to  Women,"  and  in  1863  his 
great  work  on  Obstetrics.  In  editing  the  latter,  few  of  my 
hearers  are  aware  of  the  difficulties  he  had  to  encounter ; 
difficulties  from  which  most  men  would  have  shrunk.  From 
title-page  to  colophon  this  large  work  was  written  by  an 
amanuensis  at  his  dictation.  The  beautiful  and  original 
lithographs  which  enrich  its  pages  gave  him  a  world  of  trou- 


'96-1873.]  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  DR.  H.  L.  HODGE.      541 

ble  and  anxiety.  He  knew  that  to  a  student  a  work  on 
obstetrics  without  illustrations  is  practically  valueless.  But 
how  were  illustrations  to  be  made  whose  accuracy  a  blind 
man  could  verify !  This  was  a  problem  of  difficult  solution, 
one  to  which  he  devoted  many  anxious  thoughts  and  sleep- 
less nights.  At  last  his  son,  Dr.  H.  Lenox  Hodge,  sug- 
gested the  use  of  photography.  Here,  indeed,  was  the 
means  presented,  by  which  nature  could  be  faithfully  copied; 
here  the  prospect  of  making  stepping-stones  of  the  very 
obstacles  which  lay  in  his  way.  With  a  thrill  of  pleasure, 
he  jumped  at  the  idea,  and  fairly  laughed  aloud  with  joy. 
From  the  noble  collection  which  he  afterwards  gave  to  the 
unrivalled  museum  of  the  University,  a  typical  pelvis  and 
fcetal  head  were  selected.  The  former  was  placed  upon  an 
appropriate  stand,  the  latter  he  held  in  the  proper  position 
within  the  pelvic  cavity  to  illustrate  the  various  positions 
and  presentations.  In  this  manner  they  were  photographed, 
but  in  the  lithographic  plates  copied  from  these  originals, 
the  sustaining  fingers  and  hand  of  the  author  were  of  course 
left  out.  In  graceful  recognition  of  this  and  other  literary 
labors,  and  of  his  distinguished  reputation,  he  was  in  1871 
honored  by  his  Alma  Mater  with  the  degree  of  LL.  D. 

"  As  an  author,  the  writings  of  Dr.  Hodge  are  character- 
ized by  clearness,  by  conscientious  accuracy,  and  by  great 
originality.  He  contemplated  the  soul  of  a  subject,  and  not 
its  mere  habiliments.  In  proof  of  this,  witness  his  remark- 
able papers  on  '  Synclitism/  and  his  careful  study  of  the 
'  Mechanism  of  Labor.'  Although  aggressive  when  needful, 
his  mind  was  strongly  constructive,  and  not  destructive. 
He  pulled  down  to  build  up,  but  never  for  the  mere  sake 
of  pulling  down.  Of  too  rugged  an  individuality  to 
fashion  himself  to  the  modes  and  opinions  of  others,  he 
thought  out  for  himself  with  intense  convictions  of  truth. 
These  convictions  he  defended  with  rigid  and  drastic  logic. 
To  them  he  was  always  true ;  from  them  he  never 
swerved.  Like  the  builders  of  Jerusalem,  he  worked  with 


542    LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  DR.  H.  L.  HODGE.  ['96-1873. 

a  spear  in  one  hand  and  a  trowel  in  the  other.  But  while 
clinging  tenaciously  to  what  he  had  elaborated,  he  dis- 
sented from  the  opinions  of  others  with  a  courteous  hospi- 
tality of  thought,  with  perfect  fair  play.  Such  encounters 
never  kindled  into  angry  controversy,  for  it  was  not  his 
system  that  he  defended,  but  the  truth,  the  truth  as  he 
interpreted  it.  In  this  respect  he  satisfied  Schiller's  defini- 
tion of  a  true  philosopher.  By  his  loss  a  great  gap  is  left 
in  medical  literature — a  gap  that  is  felt  in  other  lands  as 
well. 

"  Thus  far  I  have  spoken  of  Dr.  Hodge  as  a  physician, 
but  great  injustice  would  be  done  to  his  memory  were  this 
memoir  to  take  note  simply  of  the  services  he  rendered  to 
our  common  profession.  In  the  sacred  relations  of  kindred 
and  of  friendship,  his  love  never  chilled.  By  his  kindness 
he  won  the  affection  of  all  who  knew  him  ;  by  his  inflexible 
integrity  he  gained  the  respect  of  those  who  came  in  contact 
with  him.  In  1 830  he  became  a  member  of  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian Church,  a  Church  born  of  the  fervor  of  his  ances- 
tors. His  after  life  proved  the  sincerity  of  this  step.  He 
ever  after  walked  as  if  he  felt  that  '  the  Christian  was  the 
world's  Bible.'  The  calamity  of  his  blindness,  and  that 
more  grievous  one  of  the  death  of  his  beloved  wife,  took 
sunlight  from  his  eyes  and  sunshine  from  his  heart,  but  he 
bore  each  with  Christian  fortitude.  As  a  church  member 
no  one  showed  a  greater  consistency,  a  broader  philan- 
thropy, a  more  unstinted  liberality,  or  set  a  brighter  exam- 
ple of  loyal  Christian  faith.  Never  once  did  this  faith 
waver  before  the  rude  assaults  and  aggressive  ventures  of 
human  thought.  Two  years  before  his  death,  when  the 
congregation  of  his  church  decided  to  move  further  up 
town,  he  was  unanimously  chosen  the  Chairman  of  the 
Building  Committee.  On  this  new  work  he  now  bent  all 
his  strength.  To  it  he  subscribed  munificently,  and  was 
active  in  raising  contributions.  Since  he  could  not  see,  the 
various  plans  of  the  new  church  were  carefully  explained 


'96-1873.]  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  DR.  H.  L.  HODGE.      543 

to  him  by  the  architect.  None  of  them  pleased  him,  and 
yet  he  found  himself  unable  to  make  his  criticisms  in  tech- 
nical and  therefore  in  intelligible  language.  With  charac- 
teristic ingenuity,  he  took  the  books  lying  on  the  desk, 
and  with  them  built  up  a  structure  which  conveyed  the 
idea  of  the  plan  ultimately  adopted. 

"  The  last  years  of  this  strong-headed  and  strong-hearted 
man  were  not  spent  in  idleness.  His  sight  grew  more  and 
more  dim,  but  his  natural  force  did  not  abate,  his  brain  did 
not  grow  weary,  his  hand  lost  not  its  cunning.  Apart  from 
giving  much  of  his  time  and  strength  to  Church  matters,  he 
continued  to  visit  some  old  patients,  and  to  keep  up  a  lively 
interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  his  profession.  All  papers 
bearing  on  the  branches  which  he  had  taught  were  read  to 
him  by  some  member  of  his  family,  or  by  some  person 
regularly  employed  for  this  purpose.  He  dictated  several 
papers  for  the  American  Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences.  Two 
of  them  on  '  Synclitism '  attracted  much  attention.  Deeply 
impressed  with  the  conviction  that  a  lack  of  proper  clinical 
instruction  is  the  crying  evil  of  our  medical  schools,  he 
subscribed  liberally  towards  the  endowment  of  the  noble 
Hospital  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  which  is  soon  to 
inaugurate  a  new  and  important  departure  in  the  medical 
education  of  this  country. 

"  My  first  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Hodge  was  made  at 
this  time  of  his  life.  We  met  in  the  library  of  the  College 
of  Physicians,  where  he  was  collecting  material  for  some 
essay.  I  shall  never  forget  his  warm  grasp  and  hearty 
shake  as  he  took  my  hand  in  both  of  his.  His  kind  words 
of  encouragement  are  indelibly  fixed  in  my  memory;  and 
so  is  the  playful  manner  in  which  he  took  me  to  task — 
'  scolded '  me,  as  he  termed  it — for  some  of  my  published 
writings  which  did  not  accord  with  his  views.  His  noble 
but  sightless  face  lighted  up  with  pleasure  when  I  told  him 
that  I  had  twice  read  his  work  on  'Obstetrics'  from  be- 
ginning to  end,  and  that  it  was  the  means  of  first  awakening 


544  DEATH  OF  FRIENDS.  [1873. 

in  me  a  love  for  his  chosen  branch  of  medicine.  Other 
very  pleasant  interviews  I  had  with  him,  for  like  pursuits, 
and  congenial  tastes  drew  us  together.  On  these  occasions 
obstetric  matters  were  always  discussed.  On  this  favo- 
rite topic  he  spoke  so  fluently,  and  was  so  much  at  home 
that,  in  order  to  follow  him  intelligently,  the  closest  atten- 
tion on  my  part  was  needed.  A  happier  man  I  never  saw ; 
his  face  beamed  with  smiles ;  his  days  seemed  hymns  of 
thanksgiving.  Some  natures,  like  vitreous  bodies,  become 
iridescent  with  age.  But  why,  I  often  asked  myself,  why 
should  he  be  otherwise  ?  Why  should  he  repine  ?  Sur- 
rounded by  devoted  friends  and  loving  children ;  with  much 
grain  stored  away  in  the  garner  of  his  brain ;  with  the  con- 
sciousness of  never  having  wasted  the  prerogatives  of  life ; 
with  a  noble  history  behind  him,  and  a  glorious  immortality 
before  him,  could  earthly  estate  be  more  princely  ?  " 

DEATH    OF    FRIENDS. 

Dr  Charles  Hodge  writes  in  his  journal :  "  Came  down 
stairs  Friday,  the  I4th  of  March  (1873),  and  heard  within  an 
hour  of  the  death  of  two  life-long  friends,  both  College  and 
Seminary  fellow-students — the  Rev.  James  V.  Henry,  who 
died  at  Jersey  City,  aged  75,  and  Charles  P.  Mcllvaine, 
Bishop  of  Ohio,  whose  death  in  Florence  had  just  been 
announced.  I  am  almost  alone." 

The  wife  of  his  colleague,  Rev.  A.  T.  McGill,  DD.,  had  also 
died  a  few  days  previously.  On  that  occasion  he  wrote  to 
Dr.  McGill:— 

My  afflicted  friend  and  brother: — God  has  brought  upon  you  the 
greatest  of  all  bereavements,  but  you  have  the  greatest  of  all  conso- 
lations. You  know  that  the  companion  of  your  life  is  now  happy 
and  glorious,  forever  free  from  all  pain  and  sorrow,  and  forever 
blessed  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  You  cannot  grieve,  therefore, 
as  those  who  have  no  hope.  You  know  too  that  you  will  soon  be  re- 
united to  be  no  more  separated  forever.  And  while  you  remain  here 
still  to  labor  and  suffer  in  the  service  of  the  Lord,  He  will  not  leave 
you  comfortless  ;  he  will  send  the  Comforter,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  to  be 


JET.  75.]  THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  1873.  545 

with  you  and  to  dwell  in  you,  and  to  give  you  the  peace  that  passes 
all  understanding.  You  can  look  backward  as  well  as  forward,  and 
feed  upon  the  recollection  of  all  the  excellence  and  goodness  of  her 
who  was  so  long  your  own,  and  who  now  awaits  you  in  heaven. 

You  have  the  consolation,  which  is  a  very  great  one,  to  know  she 
was  admired  and  loved,  and  is  now  lamented  by  all  who  knew  her. 
No  lady  in  this  community  was  the  subject  of  higher  regard  or  more 
sincere  affection.  You  are  not  alone.  Your  sons  and  daughters  are 
about  you  to  share  your  grief  and  to  alleviate  it  by  their  devotion  and 
tenderness. 

I  write  not  that  I  may  comfort  you,  but  that  I  may  share  with  you 
in  your  sorrow,  and  mingle  my  thanksgiving  with  yours  for  the 
wonders  of  redeeming  grace,  which  are  never  felt  to  be  so  pre- 
cious as  when  the  desire  of  our  eyes  is  taken  from  us. 

Praying  that  God  may  fill  your  heart  with  the  assurance  of  his  love, 
and  with  the  consolations  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  I  am,  my  dear  brother, 
Yours  in  sincere  affection,  CHARLES  HODGE. 

THE     VISIT     OF     THE    GENERAL     ASSEMBLY    OF     1873    tO 
WASHINGTON. 

This  General  Assembly  contained  many  of  his  old  stu- 
dents, and  also  many  strangers  from  a  distance,  especially 
of  the  late  New-school  branch  of  the  Church,  who  had 
heard  of  his  fame,  and  yet  had  never  seen  his  face.  Among 
many  of  both  classes  a  strong  desire  to  see  him  gradually 
gathered  force.  This  led  ultimately  to  the  adjournment  of 
the  Assembly  during  the  day-time  of  Wednesday,  the  28th 
of  May,  and  their  visit  as  a  body  to  Washington,  in  order 
to  meet  him  as  their  guest  at  Willard's  Hotel.  An  account 
of  the  whole  matter  is  given  in  the  following  letter  from 
Dr.  Joseph  T.  Smith,  of  Baltimore,  who  was  on  that  occa- 
sion chairman  of  the  Assembly's  Committee  of  Arrange- 
ments. 

REV.    JOSEPH    T.    SMITH    TO    THE    EDITOR. 

BALTIMORE,  April  8,  1880. 
REV.  A.  A.  HODGE, — 

Dear  Doctor  : — I  have  just  returned  from  Washington,  where  I  used 
all  diligence  to  get  the  facts  connected  with  your  father's  visit  to  the 
Assembly.     I  was  able  to  get  very  little  beyond  what  I  already  knew. 
35 


546  THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  1873.  [1873. 

During  the  session  of  the  Assembly  of  1873  m  Baltimore  there  was 
a  very  general  and  very  earnest  desire  expressed  on  the  part  of  the 
members  of  the  Assembly,  and  particularly  those  from  a  distance,  to 
meet  with  your  father.  As  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Arrange- 
ments this  was  brought  to  me  from  many  quarters,  and  the  committee 
was  anxious  in  some  way  to  gratify  it.  Your  father  was  then  on  a  visit 
to  his  brother-in-law,  General  Hunter,  in  Washington.  The  first  move- 
ment was  to  invite  him  to  Baltimore,  but  to  this  he  replied  that  his 
health  would  not  permit,  as  he  was  then  convalescent  from  a  severe 
attack  of  acute  bronchitis. 

It  was  then  proposed  that  the  Assembly  should  visit  Washington, 
and  have  an  interview  with  him  there.  After  some  correspondence 
a  delegation  came  on  from  Washington  and  invited  the  Assembly  to 
spend  a  day  there,  assuring  them  that  proper  arrangements  would  be 
made  for  an  interview  with  Dr.  Hodge.  On  the  evening  of  the  27th 
of  May  the  Assembly  adjourned  to  meet  at  half-past  7  o'clock,  p.  M. 
on  the  28th.  The  Moderator,  Dr.  Crosby,  was  not  able  to  go,  but  the 
greater  portion  of  the  Assembly  went,  with  Dr.  Niccolls,  the  last  Mode- 
rator present,  acting  in  Dr.  Crosby's  place. 

They  first  repaired  to  the  Capitol,  and  after  a  short  address  of  wel- 
come from  the  Washington  Brethren,  and  a  response  from  the  Mode- 
rator, they  united  in  singing  the  Long  Metre  Doxology,  in  the 
Rotunda.  Hence  they  repaired  to  the  White  House,  where  in  the 
absence  of  the  President,  they  were  received  by  Secretary  Fish  and 
the  ladies  present.  They  then  moved  in  a  body  to  the  grand  dining- 
room  in  Willard's  Hotel,  where  a  rich  collation  had  been  provided 
by  the  Churches  of  Washington. 

Dr.  Hodge,  very  feeble,  and  showing  signs  of  great  emotion,  entered 
on  the  arm  of  Dr.  Niccolls,  and  took  his  seat  by  his  side  at  the  head 
of  the  table.  The  room,  spacious  as  it  is,  was  crowded,  and  the  great- 
est interest  was  manifested  in  the  proceedings.  After  quiet  was 
secured  an  Address  of  Welcome  was  made  by  Dr.  Niccolls  to  the 
honored  guest  of  the  occasion.  Dr.  Hodge  rose  under  great  emo- 
tion, and  replied,  after  which  the  brethren  crowded  around  him  with 
the  greatest  heartiness  and  unanimity  with  their  congratulations. 
This  action  of  the  Assembly  touched  him  very  deeply.  When  first 
told  of  the  desire  thus  to  honor  him  he  was  almost  overcome,  and 
the  cordial  greeting  he  received  on  every  side,  he  said,  was  among 
the  most  cherished  recollections  of  his  life. 

I  am  sorry  that  I  cannot  give  you  more  than  the  above,  but  these 
are  the  main  facts. 

Yours  in  Christ, 

J.  T.  SMITH. 


-«T.  75.]  THE  EVANGELICAL  ALLIANCE.  547 


THE    EVANGELICAL   ALLIANCE. 

In  the  early  days  of  October,  1873,  the  Sixth  General 
Conference  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  was  held  in  the 
city  of  New  York.  Taken  all  together,  as  to  its  object,  the 
character  of  its  members,  the  value  of  their  discussions, 
the  vastness  and  enthusiasm  of  the  attendant  audiences,  and 
the  impression  made  upon  the  entire  Christian  community, 
this  Conference  was  one  of  the  memorable  events  in  the 
history  of  American  Christianity. 

In  an  article  entitled  "  American  Lights  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal Alliance,  by  Camera  Obscura,"  printed  in  the  Sunday- 
school  Times  for  October  iSth,  1873,  the  subject  of  this 
memoir  is  photographed  thus :  '/  There  is  the  Rev. 
Charles  Hodge,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  of  Princeton  Theological 
Seminary,  the  most  impressive  personality  of  the  Alliance. 
Who  ever  saw  a  face  more  radiant,  more  serene,  more  sug- 
gestive ?  Strength  lying  in  repose,  sweetness  and  an  in- 
describable innocence  beam  from  his  countenance.  Dressed 
in  a  dress-coat  and  snowy  cravat  of  the  olden  pattern,  car- 
rying a  gold-headed  ebony  cane,  upon  the  top  of  which  he 
is  wont  to  recline,  he  is  growing  old  far  too  fast.  When 
he  addresses  the  audience,  only  those  who  are  half-way 
toward  the  platform  can  have  any  pleasure  in  the  hearing. 
Those  beyond  are  only  conscious  of  their  loss  by  seeing 
how  such  as  sit  hard  by  are  being  fed." 

The  chief  end  of  the  Alliance  is  to  promote  and  to  exem- 
plify the  essential  unity  of  evangelical  Christendom,  however 
widely  distinguished  by  denominational  differences,  or  sepa- 
rated by  national  or  geographical  barriers.  The  part  as- 
signed to  Dr.  Hodge,  therefore,  struck  the  key-note  for  the 
whole  Conference  and  the  exercises  of  all  its  divisions. 
His  subject  was  "  THE  UNITY  OF  THE  CHURCH  BASED  ON 
PERSONAL  UNION  WITH  CHRIST."  His  points  were  ist. 
"The  Unity  of  Individual  Believers,"  first  with  Christ 
and  then  with  each  other,  which  has  its  ground  in  the 


548  THE  EVANGELICAL  ALLIANCE.  [1873, 

indwelling  of  the  Spirit  and  in  faith.  This  is  manifested 
(i)  In  their  agreement  in  faith.  They  all  essentially  em- 
brace the  same  system  of  truth.  (2)  In  the  sameness  of 
their  spiritual  life  or  religious  experience,  and  (3)  In  their 
mutual  love,  the  bond  of  perfectness,  which  is  founded  first, 
on  congeniality  and  second  on  relationship,  and  is  mani- 
fested first  in  mutual  recognition,  and  second,  in  a  disposi- 
tion to  bear  each  other's  burdens  and  to  bear  each  other's 
wants.  2d.  "  The  Unity  of  Individual  Churches  or  Con- 
gregations." "  The  idea  of  the  Church,  therefore,  as 
presented  in  the  Bible,  is  that  believers  scattered  over  the 
world  are  a  band  of  brethren,  children  of  the  same  Father, 
subjects  of  the  same  Lord,  forming  one  body  by  the  in- 
dwelling of  the  Holy  Ghost,  uniting  all  to  Christ  as  their 
living  head.  This  indwelling  of  the  Spirit  makes  all 
believers  one  in  faith,  one  in  their  religious  life,  one  in  love. 
Hence  they  acknowledge  each  other  as  brethren  and  are 
ready  to  bear  each  other's  burdens.  This  is  the  communion 
of  saints.  The  Church,  in  this  view,  is  the  mystical  body 
of  Christ. 

"  But  by  a  law  of  the  Spirit,  believers  living  in  the  same 
neighborhood  unite  as  Churches  for  public  worship,  and 
for  mutual  watch  and  care.  These  local  Churches  consti- 
tute one  body,  first,  spiritually,  because  they  are  all  subject 
to  the  same  Lord,  are  animated  by  the  same  Holy  Spirit, 
and  are  bound  together  by  the  bond  of  Christian  love. 
Secondly,  they  are  externally  one  body,  because  they 
acknowledge  each  other  as  Churches  of  Christ,  and  recog- 
nize each  other's  members,  ordinances,  ministers,  and  acts 
of  discipline;  and  also  because  they  are  all  subject  to  the 
same  tribunal.  That  tribunal  in  the  beginning  was  the 
apostles;  now  it  is  the  Bible,  and  the  mind  of  the 
Church,  expressed  sometimes  in  one  way  and  sometimes 
in  another. 

"  That  this  normal  state  of  the  Church  has  never  been 
fully  realized  is  to  be  referred  partly  to  unavoidable  circum- 


JET.  75.]  THE  E  VANGELICAL  ALLIANCE.  549 

stances,  and  partly  to  the  imperfections  of  believers.  *  *  * 
In  the  present  state  of  the  world  denominational  Churches 
are,  therefore,  relatively  a  good.  The  practical  question  is, 
What  is  their  relation  to  each  other  ?  What  are  their  rela- 
tive duties  ?  How  may  their  real  unity  be  manifested  in 
the  midst  of  these  diversities. 

3d.  "  Denominational  Churches."  (i)  Their  first  duty  to 
each  other  is  mutual  recognition.  (2)  Their  second  duty  is 
intercommunion.  They  owe  then  (3)  recognition  of  each 
other's  sacraments  and  orders,  (4)  non-interference  and 
(5)  the  duty  of  co-operation. 

"If  the  principles  above  stated  be  correct  it  is  of 
the  last  importance  that  they  should  be  practically  re- 
cognized. If  all  Christians  really  believed  that  they 
constitute  the  mystical  body  of  Christ  on  earth,  they  would 
sympathize  with  each  other  as  readily  as  the  hands  sympa- 
thize with  the  feet,  or  the  feet  with  the  hands.  If  all 
churches,  whether  local  or  denominational,  believed  that 
they  too  are  one  body  in  Christ  Jesus,  then  instead  of  con- 
flict we  should  have  concord ;  instead  of  mutual  criminations 
we  should  have  mutual  respect  and  confidence ;  instead  of 
rivalry  and  opposition  we  should  have  cordial  co-operation. 
The  whole  visible  Church  would  then  present  an  undivided 
front  against  infidelity  and  every  form  of  Anti-christian 
error,  and  the  sacramental  host  of  God,  though  divided  into 
different  corps,  would  constitute  one  army  glorious  and  in- 
vincible." 

Dr.  Hodge  also  took  part  in  the  extemporaneous  discus- 
sion on  Darwinism  and  the  doctrine  of  Development  in  the 
Philosophical  Section  held  Oct.  6. 

Under  the  title  of  "  Noticeable  things  at  the  Alliance/'  in 
the  Presbyterian,  Oct.  1 8,  1873,  Dr.  Cuyler  of  Brooklyn  says, 
"  The  '  corns '  of  sectarianism  have  suffered  occasionally,  to 
be  sure,  when  some  hard  logic  set  its  boot  heavily  on  them. 
This  was  the  case  when  Dr.  Hodge  trod  squarely  on  the 
sore  spot  in  '  close  communionism '  in  his  superb  address ; 


550  THE  EVANGELICAL  ALLIANCE.  [1873. 

and  some  of  our  good  Baptist  brethren  winced  a  little. 
This  was  inevitable.  What  does  the  Alliance  signify  but 
the  free  and  open  communion  of  all  the  faithful  in  Christ 
Jesus  ?  Dr.  Hodge  spoke  with  intense  emotion,  and  was 
heard  with  intense  interest.  One  eminent  foreign  delegate 
said  to  me,  '  It  paid  me  for  crossing  the  ocean  just  to  see 
Dr.  Hodge  during  that  glorious  speech.'  ' 

The  Examiner  and  Chronicle  (Baptist),  in  an  editorial  on 
Oct.  Qth,  1873,  affirmed  that  Dr.  Hodge  in  that  address  had 
"  overlooked  the  claims  of  courtesy,  propriety  and  justice." 
In  the  Presbyterian  of  Nov.  i,  1873,  Dr.  Hodge's  answer  is 
given.  He  says,  "  I  was  distinctly  informed  that  no  one 
was  expected  to  speak  in  the  name  of  the  body  which  he 
addressed.  He  was  to  express  his  own  views,  for  which  no 
one  was  to  be  held  responsible  but  himself.  I  find  that 
every  other  member  of  the  Alliance  acted  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple that  I  did — expressing  his  own  sentiments  without  in- 
tending to  commit  anybody  else.  Some  of  our  scientific 
brethren  expressed  views  on  the  Mosaic  account  of  the 
creation,  and  of  the  modern  theory  of  '  development '  from 
which  others  dissented.  No  one  took  offence  at  this. 
Others  again  advocated  the  propriety  of  the  Union  of 
Church  and  State.  We  Americans  were  not  thereby 
offended. 

"  An  Evangelical  Alliance  conducted  on  the  principle  that 
every  member  must  agree  with  what  every  other  member 
says,  it  seems  to  me  must  be  a  failure. 

"  If  you  agree  with  me  as  to  the  design  of  the  great  con- 
vocation of  Evangelical  Christians  which  has  been  such  a 
blessing  and  such  an  honor  to  the  age  in  which  we  live,  I 
am  sure  you  will  exonerate  me  from  the  charge  of  having 
violated  the  claims  of  '  courtesy,  propriety  and  justice/ 

"  Your  brother  in  the  bonds  which  no  difference  between 
Baptists  and  Pedo-baptists  can  sunder. 

CHARLES  HODGE." 


J&i.  76.]  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMON.  551 

HISTORICAL  SERMON  DELIVERED  AT  THE  RE-OPENING    OF 
THE    CHAPEL,    SEPT.    27,    1874. 

During  the  summer  of  1874,  by  the  generous  provision 
of  the  munificent  benefactor  of  the  Seminary,  Mr.  John  C. 
Green,  of  New  York  city,  the  Chapel  was  thoroughly  re- 
paired, improved  and  beautified.  On  the  occasion  of  its 
being  re-opened  for  worship,  on  the  27th  of  September, 
the  sermon  was  delivered  by  Dr.  Hodge  as  senior  professor. 
This  sermon  is  so  delightful  and  valuable  in  its  historical  and 
biographical  contents,  that  I  feel  it  proper  to  insert  a  large 
portion  of  the  text  uncondensed  : 

"  The  first  signal  manifestation  of  the  divine  favor  to  this 
Institution  was  the  selection  of  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander 
and  Dr.  Samuel  Miller  as  its  professors,  and  their  being 
spared  for  nearly  forty  years  to  devote  themselves  to  its 
service.  It  is  admitted  that  the  most  important  part  of  a 
man's  life  is  the  formative  period  of  youth.  The  same  is 
true  of  communities  and  institutions.  If  a  college  be  de- 
pendent on  the  State,  its  character  may  vary  with  the 
change  of  parties  in  the  State;  but  if  it  be  independent,  it 
bids  fair  to  retain  its  original  character  from  generation  to 
generation.  If  a  father  commit  his  child  to  incompetent 
and  wicked  tutors  and  governors,  the  fate  of  the  child  is 
sealed;  but  if  it  be  confided  to  faithful  guardians,  as  a  rule, 
it  will  grow  up  to  be  an  ornament  and  a  blessing.  The 
favor  of  God  to  this  infant  Seminary,  was  manifested  in  its 
being  intrusted  to  the  hands  of  men  pre-eminently  qualified 
for  the  sacred  trust. 

"  They  were  in  the  first  place  eminently  holy  men.  They 
exerted  that  indescribable  but  powerful  influence  which 
always  emanates  from  those  who  live  near  to  God.  Their 
piety  was  uniform  and  serene ;  without  any  taint  of  enthu- 
siasm or  fanaticism.  It  was  also  Biblical.  Christ  was  as 
prominent  in  their  religious  experience,  in  their  preaching, 
and  in  their  writings,  as  he  is  in  the  Bible.  Christ's  per- 


552  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMON.  [1874. 

son,  his  glory,  his  righteousness,  his  love,  his  presence, 
his  power,  filled  the  whole  sphere  of  their  religious  life. 
When  men  enter  a  Roman  Catholic  Church,  they  see  be- 
fore them  a  wooden  image  of  Christ  extended  upon  a  cross. 
To  this  lifeless  image  they  bow.  When  students  entered 
this  Seminary,  when  its  first  professors  were  alive,  they  had 
held  up  before  them  the  image  of  Christ,  not  graven  by  art 
or  man's  device,  but  as  portrayed  by  the  Spirit  on  the 
pages  of  God's  word;  and  it  is  by  beholding  that  image  that 
men  are  transformed  into  its  likeness  from  glory  to  glory. 
It  is,  in  large  measure,  to  this  constant  holding  up  of 
Christ,  in  the  glory  of  his  person  and  the  all-sufficiency  of 
his  work,  that  the  hallowed  influence  of  the  fathers  of  this 
Seminary  is  to  be  attributed. 

"  It  often  happens,  however,  that  men  are  very  pious  with- 
out being  very  good.  Their  religion  expends  itself  in  de- 
votional feelings  and  services,  while  the  evil  passions  of 
their  nature  remain  unsubdued.  It  was  not  so  with  our 
fathers.  They  were  as  good  as  they  were  pious.  I  was 
intimately  associated  with  them,  as  pupil  and  colleague, 
between  thirty  and  forty  years.'  In  all  that  time  I  never 
saw  in  either  of  them  any  indication  of  vanity,  of  pride,  of 
envy,  of  jealousy,  of  insincerity,  of  uncharitableness,  or  of 
disingenuousness.  I  know  that  what  I  say  is  incredible. 
Nevertheless  it  is  true.  And  it  is  my  right  and  my  duty 
to  scatter  these  withered  flowers  upon  their  graves.  Most 
men  have  reason  to  rejoice  that  their  bosoms  are  opaque, 
but  these  holy  men,  as  it  always  seemed  to  me,  might  let 
the  sun  shine  through  them. 

"  Another  characteristic  of  the  men  of  whom  I  speak  was 
their  firm  and  simple  faith  in  the  Scriptures,  and  in  the 
system  of  doctrine  contained  in  the  standards  of  our 
Church.  Their  faith  was  founded  on  the  demonstration  of 
the  Spirit,  and  therefore  could  not  be  shaken.  No  Sunday- 
School  scholar,  no  mother  in  Israel,  could  be  more  entire- 
ly submissive  to  the  teachings  of  the  Scriptures  than  were 


^T.  76.]  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMON,  553 

these  venerable  men.  There  was  something  sublime  and 
beautiful  in  the  humility  of  old  Doctor  Alexander,  when  he 
found  himself  at  the  feet  of  Jesus'.  There  was  no  ques- 
tionings of  the  reason,  no  opposition  of  the  heart.  The 
words  of  Scripture  were  received  as  the  revelation  of  what 
is  true  and  right  from  the  highest  source  of  truth  and  good- 
ness. No  one  can  estimate  the  influence  of  this  trait  of  the 
character  of  our  first  professors  operating  through  forty 
years  on  successive  generations  of  their  pupils. 

"  There  are  theologians  who  exhort  men  to  think  for 
themselves,  and  to  receive  nothing  on  authority.  *  *  And 
others  who  crave  after  novelty  and  aspire  after  originality. 

*  And  others  who  have  a  philosophical  disposition. 
"  It  pleased  God  that  the  first  professors  in  this  Seminary 
should  belong  to  neither  of  these  classes.  They  exhorted 
their  students  to  be  humble  rather  than  high-minded.  They 
had  no  fondness  for  new  doctrines,  or  for  new  ways  of  pre- 
senting old  ones ;  and  they  dreaded  the  thought  of  trans- 
ferring the  ground  of  faith  from  the  rock  of  God's  word  to 
metaphysical  quicksands.  For  this  reason  Princeton  Theo- 
logical Seminary  was  regarded  by  the  illuminati  in  every 
part  of  the  land  as  very  umbrageous,  impenetrable  to  any 
ray  of  new  light.  This  did  not  move  the  men  of  whom  we 
speak.  They  had  heard  Christ  say  of  certain  men  that  the 
light  that  is  in  them  is  darkness.  And  knowing  that  man 
is  blind  as  to  the  things  of  God,  they  thought  it  safer  to 
submit  to  be  guided  by  a  divine  hand,  rather  than,  with 
darkness  within  and  darkness  without,  to  stumble  on  they 
knew  not  whither. 

"As  to  the  method  of  instruction  adopted  by  our  first 
professors  little  need  be  said.  They  both  used  text-books 
where  they  could  be  had.  Dr.  Alexander's  text-book  in 
theology  was  Turrettin's  Theologia  Elenchtica,  one  of  the 
most  perspicuous  books  ever  written.  In  the  discussion  of 
every  subject  it  begins  with  the  Status  Qucestionis,  stating 
that  the  question  is  not  this  or  that ;  neither  this  nor  that, 


554  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMON.  [1874. 

until  every  foreign  element  is  eliminated,  and  then  the  pre- 
cise point  in  hand  is  laid  down  with  unmistakable  preci- 
sion. Then  follow  in  distinct  paragraphs,  numbered  one, 
two,  three,  and  so  on,  the  arguments  in  its  support.  Then 
come  the  Fontes  Solutionum,  or  answers  to  objections.  The 
first  objection  is  stated  with  the  answer ;  then  the  second, 
and  so  on  to  the  end.  Dr.  Alexander  was  accustomed  to 
give  us  from  twenty  to  forty  quarto  pages,  in  Latin,  to  read 
for  a  recitation.  And  we  did  read  them.  When  we  came 
to  recite,  the  professor  would  place  the  book  before  him  and 
ask,  What  is  the  State  of  the  Question  ?  What  is  the  first 
argument?  What  is  the  second,  &c.  ?  Then  what  is  the 
first  objection  and  its  answer  ?  What  .the  second,  &c.  ? 
There  were  some  of  my  classmates,  Dr.  Johns,  the  present 
bishop  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  Virginia,  for  example, 
who  would  day  after  day  be  able  to  give  the  State  of  the 
Question,  all  the  arguments  in  its  support  in  their  order, 
all  the  objections  and  the  answers  to  them,  through  the 
whole  thirty  or  forty  pages,  without  the  professor  saying  a 
word  to  him.  This  is  what  in  the  College  of  New  Jersey 
used  to  be  called  rowling.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of 
this  method  of  instruction,  it  was  certainly  effective.  A 
man  who  had  passed  through  that  drill  never  got  over  it. 
Some  years  ago  I  heard  the  late  Bishop  Mcllvaine  preach 
a  very  orthodox  sermon  in  the  Episcopal  Church  in  this 
place.  When  we  got  home,  it  being  a  very  warm  day,  he 
threw  himself  on  the  bed  to  rest.  In  the  course  of  con- 
versation he  happened  to  remark  that  a  certain  professor 
failed  to  make  any  marks  on  the  minds  of  his  students.  I 
said  to  him,  "  Old  Turrettin,  it  seems,  has  left  his  mark  on 
your  mind."  He  sprang  from  the  bed,  exclaiming,  "  That 
indeed  he  has,  and  I  would  give  anything  to  see  his  theol- 
ogy translated  and  made  the  text-book  in  all  our  Semina- 
ries." The  Jesuits  are  wise  in  their  generation,  and  they 
have  adopted  this  method  of  instruction  in  their  insti- 
tutions. 


JET.  76.]  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMON.  555 

"  Dr.  Alexander,  however,  did  not  confine  himself  to  his 
text-book.  He  lectured  from  time  to  time  on  those  doc- 
trines which  were  exciting  general  attention.  These  lec- 
tures from  year  to  year  became  more  numerous,  until  they 
constituted  an  important  part  of  his  course.  He  was  accus- 
tomed also  to  give  out  lists  of  theological  questions,  which 
the  students  were  expected  to  answer  in  writing.  On  the 
departments  of  mental  and  moral  philosophy,  polemic  and 
pastoral  theology,  his  instructions  were  by  lectures,  so  that 
his  mind  was  constantly  brought  into  contact  with  those  of 
his  students.  His  lectures  on  Pastoral  Theology  were  de- 
votional exercises,  which  we  attended  as  we  would  attend 
church. 

"  Dr.  Miller  also  had  a  text-book  on  Ecclesiastical  History 
which  he  supplemented  and  corrected  by  a  running  com- 
mentary at  each  recitation.  He,  too,  gave  out  lists  of 
questions  covering  the  whole  course  of  biblical  and  church 
history.  His  instructions  on  Church  Government  and  Dis- 
cipline, and  on  the  Composition  and  Delivery  of  Sermons, 
were  by  lectures.  These  venerable  men  were  remarkably 
punctual  and  faithful  in  attending  on  all  their  official  duties. 

"Their  influence  on  the  students  was  after  all  mainly  reli- 
gious, arising  from  the  doctrines  which  they  taught,  the 
character  which  they  exhibited,  and  the  principles  which 
they  inculcated.  To  this  must  be  added  the  power  of  call- 
ing the  religious  feelings  into  exercise,  which  Dr.  Alexander 
possessed  beyond  any  man  whom  I  have  ever  known.  He 
had  the  gift  of  searching  the  heart ;  of  probing  the  con- 
science; of  revealing  a  man  to  himself;  of  telling  him  his 
thoughts,  feelings,  doubts  and  conflicts.  As  with  a  lighted 
torch  he  would  lead  a  man  through  the  labyrinth  of  his 
heart,  into  places  which  his  intelligent  consciousness  had 
never  entered.  He  would  thus  humble  him,  instruct  him, 
comfort  or  strengthen  him.  He  could  melt  his  hearers  to 
penitence,  make  their  hearts  burn  within  them,  inspire  them 
with  zeal,  and  give  them  a  foretaste  of  the  joy  that  is  un- 


556  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMON,  [1874. 

speakable.  This  power  he  exerted  not  only  in  the  pulpit, 
but  in  our  Sabbath  afternoon  conferences,  and  in  his  ad- 
dresses to  the  students  at  evening  prayers.  There  are  three 
of  his  sermons  which  I  specially  remember;  one  on  Abra- 
ham's offering  up  Isaac;  one  on  the  transfiguration  of 
Christ;  and  one  on  our  Lord's  passion.  The  only  way  in 
which  I  can  give  an  idea  of  the  impression  produced  by 
these  discourses,  is  by  saying  that  his  hearers  felt,  in  a  mea- 
sure, as  they  would  have  done  had  they  been  present  at  the 
scenes  described.  We  left  this  Chapel  after  his  sermon  on 
the  transfiguration,  feeling  that  we  had  seen  the  Lord  in 
his  glory,  at  least  as  through  a  glass  darkly.  His  sermon 
on  the  passion  of  Christ  was  delivered  in  the  Church  on  a 
communion  Sunday.  The  impression  which  it  made  was 
profound.  The  students  became  clamorous ;  they  would 
take  no  denial  of  their  request  for  its  possession.  I  do 
not  think  that  it  was  printed ;  but  the  manuscript  came  into 
our  hands ;  and  when  I  read  it,  there  was  nothing  there 
but  what  is  in  the  Gospels.  So  that  the  mystery  of  its 
power  remained  unsolved. 

"There  was  another  peculiarity  in  Dr.  Alexander's  preach- 
ing. He  would  sometimes  pause  and  give  utterance  to  a 
thought  which  had  no  connection  with  his  subject,  and 
then  resume  the  thread  of  his  discourse.  He  seemed  to 
think  that  these  thoughts  were  given  to  him  for  a  purpose, 
and  he  sent  them  forth  as  arrows  shot  at  a  venture.  When 
a  boy  I  attended  a  service  which  he  conducted  in  the  old 
school-house,  which  stood  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church.  I  sat  in  the  back  part  of 
the  room,  on  a  shelf  with  my  feet  dangling  half-way  to  the 
floor.  The  Doctor  suddenly  paused  in  his  address,  and 
stretching  out  his  arm  to  attract  attention,  deliberately 
uttered  this  sentence,  '  I  don't  believe  a  praying  soul  ever 
enters  hell.'  That  bolt,  I  suspect,  pierced  more  hearts 
than  one.  It  may  well  be  believed  that  more  than  one 
poor  sinner  in  that  little  assembly,  said  to  himself,  '  If 


^ET.  76.]  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMOtf.  557 

that  be  so,  I  will  keep  on  praying  while  I  keep  on  breath- 
ing.' 

"  We  all  know  that  the  man  who  is  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing us  near  to  God,  who  enables  us  to  see  the  glory  of 
Christ,  who  stirs  up  our  hearts  to  penitence  and  love, 
becomes  sacred  in  our  eyes,  and  that  the  place  in  which 
we  have  enjoyed  these  experiences  can  never  be  forgotten. 
Hence  the  feeling  which  our  old  alumni  cherish  for  this 
Seminary,  is  not  pride,  but  a  tender,  sacred,  love,  as  for 
the  place  in  which  they  passed  some  of  the  holiest,  hap- 
piest, and  most  profitable  hours  of  their  lives. 

"  Owing  to  the  peculiar  power  of  Dr.  Alexander  over  the 
feelings,  the  students  were  more  demonstrative  of  their 
regard  for  him  than  for  Dr.  Miller.  But  in  their  heart 
of  hearts,  in  the  place  where  reverence  dwells,  in  the  inner 
temple  of  the  soul,  neither  of  these  holy  men  stood  higher 
than  the  other. 

"  Dr.  Addison  Alexander  was  appointed  teacher  of  He- 
brew in  this  Seminary  in  1833.  In  1836  he  was  elected 
professor  of  Biblical  and  Oriental  Literature.  He  did  not 
consent,  however,  to  be  inaugurated  until  two  years  later, 
although  he  discharged  the  duties  of  the  chair  to  which  he 
had  been  appointed.  He  continued  connected  with  the 
Seminary  as  one  of  its  professors  until  his  death,  February, 
1860. 

"  I  believe  that  I  was  rash  enough  to  say  on  the  floor  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  1 860,  that  I  thought  Dr.  Addison 
Alexander  the  greatest  man  whom  I  had  ever  seen.  This 
was  unwise :  both  because  there  are  so  many  different 
kinds  of  greatness;  and  because  I  was  no  competent  judge. 
I  feel  free  to  say  now,  however,  that  I  never  saw  a  man 
who  so  constantly  impressed  me  with  a  sense  of  his  mental 
superiority — with  his  power  to  acquire  knowledge  and 
his  power  to  communicate  it.  He  seemed  able  to  learn 
anything  and  to  teach  anything  he  pleased.  And  whatever 
he  did,  was  done  with  such  apparent  ease  as  to  make  the 


558  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMON.  [1874. 

impression  that  there  was  in  him  a  reserve  of  strength, 
which  was  never  called  into  exercise.  The  rapidity  with 
which  he  accomplished  his  work  was  marvellous.  The 
second  volume  of  his  Commentary  on  Isaiah,  a  closely 
printed  octavo  volume  of  five  hundred  pages,  with  all  its  eru- 
dition, was  written,  as  I  understand,  during  one  summer 
vacation,  which  he  passed  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Few 
literary  achievements  can  be  compared  to  that. 

"  He  had  two  marked  peculiarities.  One  was  that  al- 
though he  had  apparently  the  power  to  master  any  subject, 
he  could  not  do  what  he  did  not  like.  Being  in  his  youth 
very  precocious  and  very  much  devoted  to  intellectual  pur- 
suits, he  needed  neither  excitement  nor  guidance.  He  was, 
therefore,  allowed  to  pass  from  one  subject  to  another  at 
pleasure.  A  habit  of  mind  was  thus  induced  which  ren- 
dered it  almost  impossible  for  him  to  fix  his  attention  on 
subjects  which  were  disagreeable  to  him.  There  were  con- 
sequently some  departments  of  knowledge  of  which  he  was 
purposely  ignorant.  This  was  true  of  psychology,  or  men- 
tal philosophy.  I  never  knew  him  to  read  a  book  on  that 
subject.  He  never  would  converse  about  it.  If  when  read- 
ing a  book,  he  came  across  any  philosophical  discussion,  he 
would  turn  over  the  leaves  until  he  found  more  congenial 
matter.  When  Dr.  Schaff 's  work  on  The  Apostolic  Age 
came  out,  he  was  greatly  delighted  with  it.  The  theory  of 
historical  development  which  it  broached,  he  took  no  notice 
of.  He  did  not  even  know  it  was  there.  When,  therefore, 
he  reviewed  the  book,  he  never  adverted  to  one  of  its  most 
marked  characteristics.  The  same  thing  was  true,  in  good 
measure,  of  natural  science,  to  which  he  devoted  very  little 
attention.  It  was  specially  true  of  physiology  and  hygiene. 
It  would  be  hard  to  find  an  educated  man  more  profoundly 
ignorant  of  the  structure  of  the  human  body  or  of  the  func- 
tions of  its  organs.  Hence  he  was  constantly  violating  the 
laws  of  health.  He  was  a  whole  year  seriously  ill  without 
knowing  it :  and  only  two  or  three  days  before  his  death, 


ALT.  76.]  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMON.  559 

he  said  to  me,  '  Don't  look  so  sad,  I'm  as  well  as   you 
are.' 

"The  other  peculiarity  referred  to  was  his  impatience  of 
routine.  He  could  not  bear  to  go  over  the  same  ground,  or 
to  attend  long  to  any  one  subject.  Hence  he  was  constantly 
changing  his  subjects  of  study  and  methods  of  instruction. 
He  would  begin  to  write  a  book,  get  it  half  done,  and  then 
throw  it  aside.  Or,  he  would  begin  to  write  on  one  plan, 
and  then  change  it  for  another.  He  occupied  three  different 
chairs  in  this  Seminary.  He  first  had  the  Old  Testament 
department ;  then  the  Language  and  Literature  of  the  New 
Testament.  The  friends  of  the  Seminary  cared  little  what 
he  did,  for  whatever  he  undertook,  he  was  sure  to  do  so 
grandly  that  every  one  would  be  more  than  satisfied.  As  he 
advanced  in  life  these  peculiarities  became  less  apparent. 
He  was  constantly  getting  his  powers  more  under  his  own 
control.  At  the  time  of  his  death  we  flattered  ourselves  that 
he  had  before  him  twenty  or  thirty  years  for  steady  work. 
Then  suddenly  our  great  treasure  ship  went  down — disap- 
pearing under  the  waves — a  dead  loss — leaving  us,  as  we 
then  felt,  utterly  bankrupt. 

"  The  departments  in  which  he  took  the  most  interest 
were  languages,  literature,  history,  and  above  all,  the  Bible. 
His  earliest  reputation  was  as  a  linguist.  It  was  known 
that  he  had  without  any  instruction  made  himself  so  fami- 
liar with  the  Arabic  that  he  had  read  the  Koran  through 
before  he  was  fourteen.  In  the  same  way  he  learned  Per- 
sic, and  while  but  a  lad  delighted  in  reading  the  Persian 
poets.  He  then  learned  Hebrew,  Chaldee  and  Syriac.  He 
kept  up  his  familiarity  with  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics 
through  life.  He  read  all  the  modern  languages  of  Europe, 
unless  the  Sclavonic  dialects  be  excepted.  His  object  in 
these  studies  was  not  simply  the  vocabulary  and  grammar 
of  these  languages,  but  their  mutual  relations,  and  specially 
the  literary  treasures  which  they  contained.  He  was  spe- 
cially master  of  his  own  tongue.  He  had  read  all  the 


560  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMON.  [1874. 

leading  English  authors  of  every  age.  His  style  was  a 
model  of  precision,  perspicuity,  felicity  of  expression,  purity 
and  force.  His  command  of  language  did  not  seem  to 
have  any  limit.  He  could  speak  in  correct  and  polished 
English  as  easily  as  he  could  breathe.  Extemporary 
speaking  is  an  every-day  matter.  But  I  have  known  Dr. 
Addison  to  come  into  this  chapel,  without  having  com- 
mitted or  written  his  sermon,  and  read  it  off  from  blank 
paper  from  beginning  to  end  without  hesitation  or  correc- 
tion. He  was  constantly  doing  such  things,  which  made 
those  around  him  think  he  could  do  whatever  he  pleased. 

"  As  to  his  qualifications  as  a  theological  professor,  the 
first  in  importance  was  his  sincere  and  humble  piety.  Re- 
ligion, however,  even  when  genuine,  assumes  different 
forms  in  different  persons.  Some  men  it  impels  to  live 
before  the  public  as  well  as  for  the  public.  In  others  it 
leads  rather  to  self-culture  and  intercourse  with  God.  Dr. 
Addison's  life  was  in  a  great  measure  hidden.  He  never 
appeared  in  church-courts  or  in  religious  conventions.  But 
although  he  lived  very  much  by  himself,  he  did  not  live 
for  himself.  All  his  powers  were  devoted  to  the  service  of 
Christ,  as  writer,  teacher,  and  minister  of  the  gospel.  His 
temper  was  naturally  irritable ;  but  if  it  ever  got  the  better 
of  him  in*  the  class-room,  the  next  prayer  he  offered  in  the 
oratory  was  sure  to  manifest  how  sincerely  he  repented. 
The  students,  on  leaving  the  prayer-room,  would  some- 
times ask  each  other,  '  What  has  Dr.  Addison  been  doing 
for  which  he  is  so  sorry  ?' 

"  The  second  great  qualification  for  his  office  was  his  firm 
faith  in  the  Bible  and  his  reverence  for  it  as  the  word  of 
God.  He  believed  in  it  just  as  he  believed  in  the  solar 
system.  He  could  not  help  believing.  He  saw  so  clearly 
its  grandeur  as  a  whole,  and  the  harmonious  relation  of  its 
several  parts,  that  he  could  no  more  believe  the  Bible  to  be 
a  human  production  than  he  could  believe  that  man  made 
the  planets.  He  never  seemed  to  have  any  doubts  or  dirfi- 


AST.  76.]  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMON.  .         ^561 

culty  on  the  subject.  Although  perfectly  familiar  with  the 
writings  of  the  German  rationalists  and  sceptics  from 
Ernesti  to  Baur  and  Strauss,  they  affected  him  no  more 
than  the  eagle  is  affected  by  the  dew  on  his  plumage  as  he 
soars  near  the  sun.  The  man  who  studies  the  Bible  as  he 
studied  it,  in  the  organic  relation  of  its  several  parts,  comes 
to  see  that  it  can  no  more  be  a  collection  of  the  indepen- 
dent writings  of  uninspired  men,  than  the  human  body  is  a 
hap-hazard  combination  of  limbs  and  organs.  It  was  in 
this  light  that  he  presented  it  to  his  students,  who  were  ac- 
customed to  say  that  he  glorified  the  Bible  to  them,  that  is 
— he  enabled  them  to  see  its  glory,  and  thus  confirmed 
their  faith  and  increased  their  reverence. 

"  Another  of  his  distinguishing  gifts  as  a  professor  was 
his  ability  as  a  teacher.  The  clearness,  rapidity,  and  force 
with  which  he  communicated  his  ideas  aroused  and  sustained 
attention ;  and  the  precision  and  variety  of  his  questions,  in 
the  subsequent  catechetical  exercise  on  the  subject  of  the 
lecture,  drew  out  from  the  student  every  thing  he  knew, 
and  made  him  understand  himself  and  the  matter  in  hand. 
Students  from  all  the  classes,  often  crowded  his  lecture- 
room,  which  they  left  drawing  a  long  breath  as  a  relief  from 
overstrained  attention,  but  with  their  minds  expanded  and 
invigorated. 

"  As  a  preacher  his  sermons  were  always  instructive  and 
often  magnificent.  He  would  draw  from  a  passage  of  Scrip- 
ture more  than  you  ever  imagined  it  contained ;  show  how 
many  rays  concentrated  at  that  point ;  and  how  the  truth 
there  presented  was  related  to  the  other  great  truths  of  the 
Bible.  This  was  not  so  much  an  exhibition  of  the  philoso- 
phical or  logical  relation  of  the  doctrine  in  hand  with  other 
doctrines,  as  showing  the  place  which  the  truth  or  fact  in 
hand  held  in  the  great  scheme  of  Scripture  revelation.  Thus 
in  his  sermon  on  the  words  of  Paul  to  the  Jews  at  Rome, 
4  Be  it  known  to  you,  that  the  Gospel  of  God  is  sent  unto 
the  Gentiles,  and  they  will  hear  it ;'  he  showed  that  every 
36 


562-  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMON.  [1874. 

thing  Moses  and  the  Prophets  had  taught,  culminated  in  •. 
the  proclamation  of  the  religion  of  the  Bible  as  the  religion 
of  the  world.  At  times  he  gave  his  imagination  full  play ; 
and  then  he  would  rise  in  spiral  curves,  higher  and  higher, 
till  lost  to  sight ;  leaving  his  hearers  gazing  up  into  heaven, 
of  which  they  felt  they  then  saw  more  than  they  had  ever 
seen  before.  These  three  men,  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander, 
Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  and  Dr.  Addison  Alexander  are  our 
galaxy.  They  are  like  the  three  stars  in  the  belt  of  Orion, 
still  shining  upon  us  from  on  high.  Their  lustre  can  now 
never  be  dimmed  by  the  exhalations  of  the  earth. 

"  I  have  not  forgotten  two  others  of  our  professors,  now 
we  doubt  not  in  heaven,  Dr.  John  Breckinridge  and  Dr. 
James  W.  Alexander.  These  men,  however,  were  never 
given  to  the  Seminary ;  they  were  only  lent  to  it  for  a  short 
time.  Dr.  Breckinridge  was  elected  in  1836  and  resigned 
in  1838;  Dr.  James  Alexander  was  elected  in  1849  and 
resigned  in  1851.  God  had  fitted  and  designed  them  for 
other  fields  of  action.  They  were  both  eminent,  each  in 
his  own  way ;  but  we  cannot  claim  them  specially  as  our 
own.  Dr.  Breckinridge  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Church  in  its  conflicts.  Dr.  Alexander  was  a  man  of  varied 
scholarship  and  accomplishments.  The  former  was  proud 
of  calling  himself  a  Kentuckian.  His  State,  however,  had 
as  much  reason  to  be  proud  of  him,  as  he  had  of  his  State. 
He  was  tall,  handsome,  spirited  and  courteous.  He  made  a 
friend  of  almost  every  man  he  met.  Being  a  natural  orator, 
his  appropriate  place  was  the  pulpit  and  platform.  Dr. 
James  Alexander,  as  you  all  know,  was  one  of  the  most 
eminent  and  useful  preachers  of  his  day. 

"  The  second  signal  manifestation  of  God's  favor  to  this 
institution  is  to  be  seen  in  the  munificent  patrons  which  he 
has  raised  up  for  its  support.  Mr.  James  Lenox,  to  whom 
we  are  indebted  for  our  library  building  and  the  extensive 
grounds  on  which  it  is  erected ;  for  one  of  our  professor's 
houses,  and  for  liberal  contributions  to  our  general  funds. 


JET.  76.]  HIS  HISTORICAL  SERMON.  563 

Messrs.  Robert  L.  and  Alexander  Stuart,  who  have  con- 
tributed sixty  thousand  dollars  to  our  scholarship,  library 
and  miscellaneous  funds,  a  professor's  house,  and  who  have 
recently  purchased  land  for  the  erection  of  a  handsome 
building  for  our  recitation-rooms.  Mrs.  George  Brown,  of 
Baltimore,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  Brown  Hall ;  Mr. 
Levi  P.  Stone,  who  founded  the  Stone  Lectureship;  Mr. 
John  C.  Green,  who  endowed  the  Helena  Professorship  of 
Ecclesiastical  History,  purchased  a  house  for  a  professor, 
contributing  generously  to  our  permanent  funds,  and  at 
whose  expense  this  Chapel  has  been  transformed  from  what 
it  was  to  what  it  is ;  so  that  we  can  never  enter  this  room 
without  being  reminded  of  his  kindness.  * 

"  There  is  another  class  of  benefactors,  who  not  having 
gold  or  silver  to  bestow,  gave  their  prayers,  their  counsels, 
and  their  disinterested  labors.  Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  Dr.  John 
McDowell,  Dr.  William  Philips,  head  a  long  list  of  friends 
who  should  always  be  held  in  grateful  remembrance,  f 

"A  mother's  pride,  however,  is  in  her  children.  Much  as 
she  may  love  and  reverence  her  parents,  she  turns  her 
fondest  gaze  on  those  whom  she  has  nurtured  at  her  bosom 
and  fondled  on  her  knees.  So  our  Alma  Mater,  while  she 
cherishes  with  reverence  the  memory  of  her  fathers,  turns 
her  streaming  eyes  with  gratitude  to  heaven,  and  says, 
'  Here,  Lord,  am  I  and  the  children  whom  thou  hast  given 
me.'  More  than  three  thousand  ministers  of  the  gospel  have 
been  trained  within  these  walls.  With  rare  exceptions  they 
have  been  faithful  men.  They  have  labored  in  every  part 
of  our  own  land  and  in  almost  every  missionary  field.  This 

*  Since  the  date  of  this  sermon  these  munificent  benefactions  have  been  great- 
ly increased.  Mr.  Lenox  has  added  another  and  most  admirable  Library  build- 
ing, and  two  professor's  houses.  The  Messrs.  Stuart  have  erected  the  finest 
hall  for  recitations  possessed  by  any  educational  institution  in  the  land,  and,  as  also 
the  representatives  of  Mr.  Green's  estate,  have  added  large  sums  to  the  endow- 
ment of  the  Seminary. 

f  To  these  should  now  be  added  the  beloved  name  of  Rev.  H.  A.  Boardman, 
D.D.,  recently  deceased. 


5  64     LAST  INTER  VIE  WS  WITH  BISHOP  JOHNS.     [i866-'75. 

goodly  company  of  ministers,  confessors,  and  even  martyrs, 
is  God's  best  gift  and  our  crown."  - 

The  preaching  of  this  sermon  was  the  occasion  of  the 
following  pleasing  letter  from  Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  D.  D., 
of  Mt.  Holly,  N.  J.,  the  son  and  biographer  of  the  second 
professor  in  this  Seminary. 

DR.    S.    MILLER,    JR.    TO   DR.    HODGE. 

MOUNT  HOLLY,  3oth  Oct.,  1874. 

My  Dear  Doctor  Hodge  : — I  received  last  evening  a  copy  of  your 
discourse  at  the  re-opening  of  the  Seminary  Chapel,  for  which  I 
most  heartily  thank  you,  and  which  I  cannot  acknowledge  without 
taking  the  opportunity  of  going  a  little  beyond  mere  formal  thanks. 
However  partial  and  unreliable  a  judge  I  may  be  of  the  fitness  of 
what  you  have  so  kindly  said  of  my  dear  Father,  I  can  make  no 
mistake  in  assuring  you,  that  it  is  all  very  grateful  to  my  own  feelings, 
and  so  must  be  to  the  feelings  of  every  one  of  his  children.  Pardon 
me  for  adding  that  I  never  heard  him  mention  your  name,  which 
of  course  was  a  most  familiar  household  word  with  us,  excepting 
in  terms  of  respect  and  affection.  From  his  example  alone  I  imbibed 
sentiments  of  sincere  regard  to  you,  which  all  our  intercourse  has 
constantly  strengthened  and  which  must,  I  believe,  continue  to  in- 
crease as  the  years — many  yet  I  trust  to  you  on  earth— roll  by. 
What  I  owe  to  you  as  a  preceptor  and  a  friend,  I  shall  never  forget. 

My  sincere  compliments  to  Mrs.  Hodge  and  all  the  members  of 
your  household.  I  am 

Truly  and  affectionately  yours, 

S.  MILLER. 

LATEST   CORRESPONDENCE     AND    INTERVIEWS     WITH    HIS 
FRIEND,    BISHOP   JOHNS. 

Dr.  Hodge  was  necessarily  separated  from  his  friend,  the 
Bishop  of  Virginia,  during  all  the  years  of  the  civil  war 
between  the  States.  They  did  not  meet  until  the  latter 
part  of  May,  1866.  Dr.  Hodge  was  then  staying  with  his 
brother-in-law,  General  Hunter,  when  Bishop  Johns  came 
over  to  meet  him  from)  his  owa  residence  at  Malvern,  near 
Alexandria,  Virginia.  The  scene  €>f  reunion  is  thus  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  A.  A.  E.  Taylor,  now  President  of  Wooster 


JET.  76.]    CHARLES  HODGE  AND  JOHN  JOHNS.      565 

University,  Ohio.  "As  we  talked,  suddenly  without  any 
announcement  the  parlor  door  was  opened,  and  there 
entered  a  man  of  slight  build  and  medium  stature,  whose 
hair  was  long  and  grey,  and  who  was  clad  from  head  to 
foot  in  what  seemed  to  be  Virginia  homespun.  He  mod- 
estly paused  inside  the  threshold,  for  the  moment  not 
being  observed  by  Dr.  Hodge,  who  was  walking  towards 
the  front  window.  I  rose  to  my  feet,  when  Dr.  Hodge, 
whose  attention  was  thus  attracted,  turned,  quickly  glanced 
up  through  his  glasses  at  the  visitor,  and  took  a  few  hasty 
steps  towards  him,  as  if  but  half  recognizing  the  face  in 
the  shadow  of  the  room.  Then  as  he  advanced  with  out- 
stretched arms,  the  two  venerable  men  were  clasped  in  a 
long  and  affectionate  embrace,  the  only  exclamation  heard 
being  '  My  brother,  my  dear  brother  !' "  Bishop  Johns  did 
say,  with  that  humorous  vivacity  so  characteristic  of  him, 
"Charley,  you  have  been  a  bad  boy,  but  I'll  forgive  you." 

"  The  embrace  ended,  they  clasped  hands,  silently  looking 
each  other  in  the  eye  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  inter- 
changed words  .of  tender  joy  at  being  permitted  once  more 
to  meet.  Then  Dr.  Hodge,  with  one  arm  round  his  friend, 
and  still  clasping  his  hand,  turned  towards  me  and  cordially 
introduced  Bishop  Johns,  of  Virginia.  I  saw  that  these  men 
were  deeply  moved,  and  that  their  eyes  were  full  of  tears, 
and  immediately  withdrew." 

DR.    HODGE    TO    BISHOP   JOHNS. 

PRINCETON,  October  3oth,  1872. 

Dear  John  : — Hail  Columbia  !  Tell  me  what  train  you  are  com- 
ing in  that  I  may  meet  you.  I  can't  afford  to  lose  a  minute. 

Yours  of  1812,  CHARLES  HODGE. 

What  on  earth  has  a  Bishop  to  do  at  a  Bible  House  ? 

DR.    HODGE    TO    BISHOP   JOHNS. 

PRINCETON,  November  i3th,  1874. 

Dear,  blessed,  old  John : — I  did  not  know  you  were  79  ;  though  I 
might  have  known  it,  as,  if  I  live  to  December  27th,  I  shall  be  77  ^so 
that  you  have  not  much  to  brag  of. 


566  CHARLES  HODGE  AND  JOHN1  JOHNS.  [1874. 

I  lived  in  hopes,  during  the  meeting  of  your  Convention,  that  you 
would  stop  in  Princeton  on  your  way  home.  I  can  sympathize  with 
you  in  your  lameness.  On  the  first  day  of  September,  walking  in 
the  dark,  I  stepped  into  a  newly  made  trench,  nearly  two  feet  deep, 
which  caused  such  a  concussion  in  the  hip-joint  of  my  weak  limb, 
that  I  have  not  sin.ce  been  able  to  walk  further  than  into  the  Semi- 
nary. I  am  gradually  improving,  but  I  fear  I  shall  not  get  over  it  for 
months  to  come. 

I  am  glad  you  sympathize  with  what  I  say  *  of  our  dear  old  Profes- 
sors, for  you  must  think  it  sober-minded  ;  which  I  fear  those  who  did 
not  know  them  as  we  did  might  be  inclined  to  doubt. 

I  am  not  inclined  to  be  a  laudator  lemporis  acti,  for  I  really  believe 
that  the  world,  on  the  whole,  is  getting  better,  and  that  the  cause  of 
Christ  is  on  the  advance.  Yet  at  times  I  am  somewhat  startled  at  the 
decay  of  faith,  or  the  prevalence  of  broad-churchism  among  all  de- 
nominations, and  of  skepticism  among  men  of  the  world.  Among 
the  masses  speculative  faith  seemed,  a  few  years  ago,  to  be  the  rule. 
I  fear  the  reverse  is  true  now.  Evangelical  truth  appears  to  be  con- 
fined very  much  to  true  believers,  of  whom,  I  hope,  the  number  is 
now  greater  than  during  any  former  period  of  the  history  of  the 
world.  As  long  as  piety  lasts,  the  truth  will  last,  and  not  much 
longer. 

Ravaud  Rodgers,  you  and  I,  so  far  as  I  know,  are  all  who  remain 
of  the  class  of  1815.  God  has  been  very  good  to  us,  and  one  of  his 
great  blessings  has  been  sparing  us  so  long  to  love  and  pray  for  each 
other.  God  bless  you,  dear  brother. 

Mrs.  Hodge  joins  me  in  love  to  you  and  yours.  All  you  feel  for 
me  I  feel  toward  you,  only  a  little  more  so. 

As  ever  and  forever  yours  in  the  bonds  that  cannot  be  broken. 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

In  1873  Dr.  Hodge  sent  to  the  Bishop  a  copy  of  the  lit- 
tle volume  containing  the  "  Proceedings  of  the  Semi-Cen- 
tennial  Commemoration/'  etc.,  with  a  photographic  likeness 
of  himself  attached.  He  inscribed  it  thus: — "Charles 
Hodge  to  John  Johns,  friends  from  November,  1812,  to  1872." 
When  they  met  on  the  next  occasion  Johns  opened  the  book, 
and  pointing  to  the  inscription,  said,  "  Charles,  I'll  not  take  it 
so."  Dr.  Hodge  took  up  a  pen  instantly  and  added  the 
words,  "  xai  er'c  rov  atwua"  (and  forever). 

*In  the  sermon,  above  given,  on  the  "  Re-opening  of  the  Chapel.'* 


ALT.  77.]    CHARLES  HODGE  AND  JOHN  JOHNS.      567 

Then  came  the  last  interview — "An  occasion,"  said 
Bishop  Johns,  "  probably  never  to  be  repeated,  but  certainly 
never  to  be  forgotten."  Dr.  Hodge  records  it  as  "  a  linger- 
ing and  solemn  farewell  of  each  other,  feeling  that  it  was 
probably  the  last  for  this  world."  Dr.  Hodge  sought  the 
interview  by  the  following  note. 

WASHINGTON,  May  22,  1875. 

Dear,  Dearest  John : — It  is  mighty  hard  for  a  man  as  old  as  I  am 
to  shoot  flying.  I  do  not  know  where  you  are.  The  newspaper  said 
you  were  in  Richmond  on  the  2oth  inst.  But  where  are  you  now  ? 
If  I  could  know  what  day  next  week  you  would  be  at  home,  I  would 
(D.  V.)  come  to  see  you.  I  am  lame,  and  use  a  crutch  out  of  doors, 
so  that  I  want  to  know  beforehand  whether  at  the  depot  I  can  get  a 
cab  to  take  me  out  to  your  mountain  residence.  On  the  ist  of  Sep- 
tember last,  walking  in  the  dark,  I  stepped  into  a  newly  made  trench, 
two  feet  deep,  which  so  jarred  my  weak  limb  that  I  have  not  been 
able  to  walk  more  than  a  square  since.  I  am  improving,  and  as  there 
is  no  injury  except  to  the  nerve,  I  hope  during  the  warm  weather  to 
get  over  the  trouble. 

Yours  as  ever,  CHARLES  HODGE. 

P.  S. — My  wife  says  that  if  it  is  hot  I  shall  not  go  a  step. 

The  next  week  Bishop  Johns  called  for  him  in  Washing- 
ton, and  insisted  upon  the  visit  to  Malvern.  The  Bishop 
had  already  had  a  slight  attack  of  paralysis,  and  was  shaken 
in  his  physical  system ;  but  his  mind  was  as  clear  and  his 
heart  as  fresh  and  tender  as  ever.  They  took  dinner  toge- 
ther, no  one  being  present  but  their  wives.  At  the  table 
Johns  suddenly  turned  to  his  friend,  and  regarding  him 
very  seriously,  said,  "  Charley,  you  have  had  more  influence 
on  my  life  than  any  other  person  I  have  ever  known." 
After  dinner  the  two  walked  out  together  to  a  seat  under  a 
maple  tree  in  front  of  the  house,  commanding  a  lovely  view 
over  the  Potomac  and  surrounding  country,  and  there  they 
talked  for  the  last  time  over  the  past  and  the  future.  When 
he  left,  the  Bishop  threw  his  arms  over  his  neck  and  said, 
"  It  is  the  last  time.  Let  me  have  a  good  look  at  your  face, 


568  CHARLES  HODGE  AND  JOHN  JOHNS.  [1875. 

Charley,  for  we  shall  never  see  each  other  again  until  we 
meet  in  heaven." 

On  his  return  to  Washington  Dr.  Hodge  sent  his  friend 
a  print  he  happened  to  pick  up,  of  two  old  soldiers  sitting 
together  on  a  bench,  entitled  the  "  Last  Muster,"  to  which 
he  appended  the  interrogative  clause,  "  In  the  future  ?"  To 
this  the  bishop  alludes  in  his  next  note. 

BISHOP   JOHNS    TO    DR.    HODGE. 

MALVERN,  June  30,  1875. 

Dear  Charles: — Since  we  parted  I  have  been  over  the  hills  and  far 
away,  returning  to  a  week  of  examinations,  ordinations,  etc. ;  hot  and 
exhausting  almost  beyond  endurance. 

But  I  steal  time  daily  to  go  from  the  step  where  we  parted  to  the 
rustic  bench  where  we  sat  together,  and  keep  the  covenant  for  re- 
freshment and  comfort. 

Thank  you  for  the  "  Muster."  No  !  not  the  last;  that  will  be  ever- 
lasting. 

Love  to  your  wife  and  children  and  children's  children.  Mrs.  J. 
and  my  daughter  say  so  too.  Bless  you  every  way  and  always. 

Truly  your  brother,  J.  JOHNS. 

The  venerated  and  beloved  Bishop  went  to  heaven  on  the 
opening  of  the  next  spring.  My  father  kept  hanging  within 
sight  on  the  wall  of  his  study,  neatly  framed,  the  last  note 
he  ever  received  from  the  Bishop — a  postal  card,  on  which 
the  Bishop  had  written  in  pencil,  with  a  strong,  clear  hand : 

January  ist,  1876. 
To  dear  Charles  and  his  family,  greeting — 

From  all  at  Malvern,  with  a  specialty  from  his  loving  friend  and 
brother  of  1812,  and  since  with  increase,  and  so  forever.  J. 

To  which  my  father  appended  in  ink : — "The  last  com- 
munication received  from  my  friend,  Bishop  Johns,  of  Vir- 
ginia. He  died  April  5th,  1876." 

DR.  HODGE  TO  THE  REV.  PROF.  JOSEPH  PACKARD,  D.  D. 

In  the  great  day  of  penitential  sorrow  predicted  by  the  prophet,  it 
is  said,  "  Every  family  shall  mourn  apart."  So  when  such  a  man  as 


/ET.  78.]  APPOINTMENT  OF  HIS  ASSISTANT.  569 

Bishop  Johns  is  taken  away,  the  whole  land  mourneth,  his  own 
household,  his  church,  the  community,  each  apart.  So  I  mourn 
alone.  He  was  an  honor  and  blessing  to  his  church  ;  but  he  was  to 
me  what  he  was  to  no  one  else.  With  the  single  exception  of  my 
own  and  only  brother,  I  never  had  such  a  friend.  For  nearly  sixty- 
four  years  we  were  as  intimate  and  confidential  as  though  we  had 
been  born  at  one  birth.  In  all  this  time,  to  the  best  of  my  recollec- 
tion, there  was  never  an  angry  word  passed  between  us.  I  feel  like 
the  last  tree  of  a  forest.  Two  of  our  college  vacations  of  six  weeks 
I  spent  with  him  in  his  home  at  Newcastle.  We  prayed  together  and, 
in  each  social  religious  meeting,  told  the  people  the  little  we  knew  of 
Christ,  helping  each  other  out.  He  was  only  eighteen  months  my 
senior,  and  yet  his  feeling  towards  me  was  somewhat  paternal. 
Alas  !  alas  !  he  has  gone.  I  cannot  speak  of  him  except  as  to  what 
he  was  to  me — so  good,  so  kind,  so  loving,  without  a  shadow  of 
change  for  sixty-four  years  !  My  last  visit  to  him,  in  May  last,  was 
the  most  loving  of  our  whole  lives.  The  recollections  and  love  of 
sixty  years  were  gathered  into  those  few  hours.  Our  parting  was  sol- 
emn, tender  and  lingering.  We  looked  steadily  at  each  other  with 
tearful  eyes,  knowing  that  possibly,  and  even  probably,  it  was  for  the 
last  time,  but  in  the  calm  hope  that  in  any  event  the  separation  could 
not  be  for  long.  I  have  no  such  friend  on  earth.  I  mourn  apart. 

THE    APPOINTMENT    OF    HIS    ASSISTANT    AND    SUCCESSOR. 

About  the  time  of  his  semi-centennial  some  of  the 
friends  of  the  Seminary  began  to  consider  what  steps 
should  be  taken  to  provide  him  with  assistance  during  his 
declining  years,  and  to  secure  for  the  Seminary  a  successor 
in  his  chair  after  his  departure.  In  1873  a  committee,  con- 
sisting of  four  or  five  of  the  oldest  and  most  experienced 
Directors,  were  appointed  by  the  Board  to  consider  this 
matter,  and  to  ascertain  by  correspondence  the  wishes  of 
Dr.  Hodge.  Their  first  proposition  was  to  appoint  his 
eldest  son,  who  had  been  for  some  time  Professor  of  Sys- 
tematic Theology  in  the  Western  Theological  Seminary, 
Allegheny  City,  Pennsylvania,  temporarily  to  the  chair  of 
The  History  of  Doctrine,  in  Princeton,  with  the  intention  that 
he  should  render  his  father  any  desired  assistance  in  the  labor 
of  teaching  while  he  lived,  and  succeed  him  afterward. 
Having  received  from  the  committee,  in  the  summer  of 


570  APPOINTMENT  OF  HIS  ASSISTANT.  [1877. 

1874,  some  intimation  of  their  design,  Dr.  Hodge  wrote  to 
Dr.  H.  A.  Boardman  as  follows : 

NARRAGANSETT  PIER,  July  13,  1874. 

Dear  Doctor: — I  do  not  know  what  other  people  think,  but  so  far 
as  7  know  I  need  an  assistant  no  more  now  than  I  did  twenty  years 
ago.  Bringing  Alexander  to  Princeton  was  not  designed,  as  I  under- 
stood the  matter,  to  relieve  me,  but  as  a  rather  cumbrous  device  to 
secure  the  fidelity  of  the  Seminary  to  the  type  of  doctrine  taught  in 
it  from  the  beginning.  It  was  never  the  intention,  so  far  as  I  was 
informed,  of  those  who  started  this  plan,  that  there  were  to  be  two 
permanent  professorships  of  theology,  one  Didactic,  and  the  other 
Polemic  or  Historical  Theology.  This  would  be  out  of  proportion. 
The  students  would  not  have  time  to  attend  two  such  courses  and  do 
justice  to  the  other  departments.  The  permanent  professorship 
should  be  for  the  relief  of  Dr.  Green.  He  is  invaluable  to  the  insti- 
tution, and  he  has  been  overworked  ever  since  he  was  connected 
with  it,  until  the  appointment  of  Mr.  McCurdy. 

The  fidelity  of  the  Seminary  to  our  Standards  is  the  great  object 
which  the  Directors,  I  doubt  not,  feel  conscience-bound  to  secure. 
If  that  end  can  be  obtained  as  well  without  Alexander  as  with  him, 
I  have  always  thought  it  would  be  better  to  let  him  remain  where  he 
is.  According  to  all  accounts  he  is  doing  good  there.  We  do  not 
know  that  he  would  be  equally  successful  in  Princeton. 

I  see  no  harm  in  allowing  things  for  the  present  to  remain  as  they 
are.  At  my  age,  life  or  fitness  for  service  hangs  by  a  thread.  Pro- 
vidence may  soon  make  the  path  of  duty  plain. 

Yours  truly,  CHARLES  HODGE. 

This  letter  naturally  brought  the  committee  to  a  full  stop, 
and  nothing  more  was  done  in  the  matter  until  it  was  again 
opened  by  the  Professor  himself. 

DR.    HODGE    TO    DR.    H.    A.    BOARDMAN. 

PRINCETON,  Feb.  3d,  1877. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : — Last  winter,  to  the  best  of  my  recollection,  I 
did  not  miss  a  single  exercise,  whether  of  lecture-room  or  confer- 
ence, during  the  whole  term  of  eight  months.  This  term  I  caught 
cold  the  latter  part  of  October,  was  confined  to  the  house  about  a 
fortnight,  and  although  I  have  attended  my  classes  regularly  since 
that  first  fortnight,  I  have  not  attended  the  chapel  or  conference. 


^ET.  79-]  APPOINTMENT  OF  HIS  ASSISTANT. 

There  is,  I  believe,  nothing  wrong  about  any  of  my  organs,  but 
my  chest  and  vocal  organs  are  very  weak.  There  is  every  reason 
to  hope  that  when  the  warm  weather  returns  I  shall  be  as  well  as 
usual.  I  had  a  similar  attack  of  bronchitis  in  the  spring  of  1873. 
The  old  alumni,  who  heard  me  attempt  to  speak  at  the  alumni  meet- 
ing, said  they  never  expected  to  hear  my  voice  again.  Nevertheless, 
some  of  them  were  astonished  when,  at  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  a 
few  months  after,  they  heard  me  speak  like  the  old  Homeric  Stentor. 
I  had  a  similar  attack  last  spring  which  prevented  our  going  to 
Washington  as  we  usually  do  during  the  month  of  May.  I  did  not 
get  over  that  attack  till  I  went  to  the  sea-shore  in  July. 

Under  these  circumstances  I  think  the  time  has  come  when  I 
should  give  up,  either  in  whole  or  in  part,  my  duties  in  the  Seminary. 
I  honestly  believe  that,  in  my  usual  health,  I  am  as  well  able  to  dis- 
charge those  duties  as  I  ever  was.  But  I  am  liable  to  be  disquali- 
fied in  the  middle  of  a  session,  and  this  winter  have  been  constrained 
to  meet  my  class  when  my  physician  thought  I  ought  to  remain  at 
home. 

Some  two  or  three  years  ago  the  Directors  kindly  appointed  a 
committee,  of  which  Dr.  Musgrave  and  yourself  were  members,  to 
consider  the  best  means  for  making  provision  for  aiding  me,  or  for 
supplying  my  place  in  the  Seminary.  I  do  not  know  whether  that 
committee  is  regarded  as  still  in  existence.  I  wish  this  note  to  be 
considered  as  a  formal  intimation  to  you,  either  as  a  member  of  that 
committee  or  as  a  Director,  that  it  is  my  purpose  to  apply  to  the  Board 
of  Directors  to  be  relieved  in  whole  or  in  part  from  my  duties  in  the 
Seminary. 

You  can  understand  the   feelings  with   which  I  look  forward  to 
severing,  or  loosening  my  connection   with  this  sacred   Institution 
which  has  been  uninterrupted  for  fifty-five  years. 
You  affectionate  and  grateful  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.  HODGE   TO    DRS.  MUSGRAVE    AND    PAXTON. 

PRINCETON,  Feb.  8,  1877. 
REV.  DRS.  MUSGRAVE  AND  PAXTON, 

Dear  Brethren  : — I  understand  that  you  are  members  of  a  Com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  Directors  of  the  Theological  Seminary,  in 
reference  to  the  instruction  in  the  Theological  Department. 

The  facts  in  the  case  are  : 

i.  That  last  winter  (1875  and  '76)  I  did  not,  to  the  best  of  my  re- 
collection, miss  a  single  exercise  the  whole  term,  whether  in  the 
class-room,  chapel  or  conference. 


572  APPOINTMENT  OF  HIS  ASSISTANT.  [1877. 

2.  This  term  I  caught  cold  the  last  week  in  October,  and  for  ten 
days  or  a  fortnight  I  was  unable  to  attend  any  classes.      Since  then 
I  have  regularly  met  the  classes,  but  have  not  attended  chapel  or 
conference,  since  the  end  of  October.     My  general  health  is  good, 
and  I  am  free,  as  far  as  I  know,  from  any  organic  complaints,  but  I 
am  very  soon  exhausted ;  I  have  great  weakness  and  a  good  deal  of 
dull  pain  in  the  chest.     My  voice  fails  me  if  I  attempt  to  read  aloud 
a  chapter  from  the  Bible.     My  physician   thinks  there   is   every 
reason  to  expect  that  I  shall  be  as  well  as  usual  when  the  warm 
weather  comes. 

3.  Under  these  circumstances  I  do  not  think  it  wise  that  the  whole 
responsibility  of  the  Department  of  Didactic  Theology  should  con- 
tinue to  rest  on  me.     There  are  two  plans  for  meeting  the  emergen- 
cy, which  I  would  respectfully  submit  to  the  decision  of  the  Com- 
mittee and  of  the  Board. 

First.  That  I  should  resign  my  professorship.  In  this  case  I  should 
be  entirely  disconnected  with  the  Seminary,  and  have  neither  the 
responsibility  nor  the  right  to  take  any  part  in  its  instruction  or 
government. 

Second.  That  provision  should  be  made  to  carry  on  the  instruction 
in  the  department,  in  case  of  entire  or  partial  failure  on  my  part. 
This  would  leave  me  still  a  member  of  the  Faculty  and  give  me  the 
right  to  do  what  I  could,  and  yet  relieve  me  from  the  obligation  of 
working  when  I  did  not  feel  fit  for  it. 

I  would,  of  course,  cheerfully  acquiesce  in  either  of  these  plans 
the  Board  may  prefer.  So  far  as  my  personal  feelings  are  concerned 
it  is  natural  I  should  prefer  to  have  the  right  to  work  while  I  can 
work.  I  might  give  up  to  a  colleague  Dogmatic  Theology  and  re- 
tain what  is  called  Exegetical  Theology ;  or  the  division  of  duties 
might  be  left  to  be  privately  determined.  All  which  is  respectfully 
submitted.  CHARLES  HODGE. 


DR.    HODGE   TO    DR.    BOARDMAN. 

SUNDAY  EVENING,  FEB.  18,  1877. 

My  Dear  Doctor: — I  understood  Dr.  Musgrave  to  say  that  the 
Committee  of  the  Directors  were  to  meet  in  Philadelphia  on  Tuesday 
next.  From  the  few  words  which  passed  between  us  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Trustees  of  the  College,  I  gathered  that  he  had  the  impression 
that  I  was  adverse  to  my  son  Alexander  being  chosen  for  a  professor 
in  this  Seminary.  I  have  neither  the  right  nor  the  wish  to  be  con- 
sulted on  the  subject,  but  to  prevent  any  embarrassment  arising  from 
any  kind  regard  to  my  views  or  wishes,  I  think  it  well  to  let  you 


^T.  79-]  APPOINTMENT  OF  HIS  ASSISTANT.  573 

know  exactly  how  I  feel  about  the  matter.  I  cannot  do  this  better 
than  by  sending  a  copy  of  the  letter  which  I  wrote  Alexander  a  few 
days  ago. 

Praying  that  God  may  over-rule  all  things  for  the  good  of  the 
Seminary  and  the  Church,  I  am  very  sincerely  yours  as  ever, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

DR.    HODGE   TO   HIS   SON. 

PRINCETON,  Feb.  16,  1877. 

My  Dear  Alexander  : — You  say  I  told  you  to  go  to  Allegheny  ; 
your  memory  may  be  better  than  mine,  but  I  have  no  recollection  of 
having  been  so  unwise.  At  any  rate,  in  the  event  of  your  being 
called  to  Princeton,  I  shall  not  assume  the  responsibility  of  deciding 
whether  you  ought  to  come.  You  ought  to  decide  the  question  be- 
fore the  election  is  made  by  the  Board,  if  the  Committee  determine 
to  recommend  your  appointment. 

The  view  I  take  of  the  matter  is  simply  this : 

1.  Our  Board  is  bound  to  take  that  course  which  it  thinks  will  best 
promote  the  interests  of  this  Seminary  and  the  general  interests  of 
this  Church. 

2.  If  our  Directors  think  there  is  any  other  man  available,  as  well 
qualified  to  fill  the  position  as  you,  they  ought  to  leave  you  where 
you  are. 

3.  But  if  they  are  satisfied  that  you  are  the  best  man  to  keep  up 
the  character  of  this  Institution  for  fidelity  to  our  doctrinal  standards. 
I,  if  a  Director,  although  your  Father,  would  vote  for  your  election  * 

4.  I  would  do  this,  because  I  think  that  this  Seminary,  not  because 
of  any  superiority  of  its  faculty,  but  simply  because  of  providential 
circumstances,  is  at  present  at  least,  of  special  importance.     It,  there- 
fore, should  be  specially  considered. 

5.  All  such  considerations,  as  delicacy,  your  personal  wishes,  cheap- 
ness of  living  here  or  there,  are  not  of  any  serious  weight. 

6.  The  question  whether  you  are  the  best  available  man  to  fill  the 
place  here,  is  for  our  Directors  to  decide.     Their  decision,  however, 
is  subject  to  a  veto  from  your  "  inner  consciousness,"  if  your  con- 
science constrains  you  to  exercise  it.     "  Commit  your  way  unfothe 
Lord,  and  He  will  direct  your  steps." 

YOUR  FATHER, 

The  result  was  that  his  son  was  elected  Associate  Pro- 
fessor of  Didactic  Theology,  with  the  understanding  that 
he  should  undertake  whatever  work  his  father  desired  to 


574  HIS  EIGHTIE  TH  BIR  THDA  Y.  [1877. 

be  relieved  of.  During  the  session  of  1877-78  Dr.  Hodge 
taught  the  senior  class  Didactic  Theology,  and  lectured  to 
the  junior  class  as  usual  on  the  Exegesis  of  the  Epistles, 
while  his  son  simply  taught  the  middle  class  theology. 
At  the  end  of  that  year  Dr.  Hodge  handed  over  to  his  son 
the  entire  department  of  Didactic  Theology,  intending  to 
retain  to  the  end  of  his  life  the  exegesis  of  the  doctrinal 
epistles.  His  death  immediately  after  necessitated  the 
transference  of  that  department  to  his  other  son,  Professor  C 
W.  Hodge.  When  his  eldest  son  was  inaugurated  in  the  old 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Princeton,  November  8,  1877, 
the  Presbyterian  says,  "  During  all  the  services  we  noticed 
that  many  eyes  were  turned  to  a  corner  of  the  church  in 
which  a  venerable  man  sat  apart  communing  with  himself, 
with  his  heart  doubtless  rilled  with  varying  emotions." 
His  mind  must  have  gone  back  to  August  I2th,  1812, 
when  he,  a  stripling,  lying  on  the  rail  of  the  gallery  of 
the  same  church,  looked  down  on  the  inauguration  of  Dr. 
A.  Alexander  to  the  same  office.  For  from  August  12, 
1812,  to  November  8,  1877,  for  more  than  sixty-five  years 
there  had  been  only  two  professors  of  Systematic  Theology 
in  Princeton,  and  Dr.  Hodge  received  the  office  from  a  man 
he  delighted  to  call  father,  and  now  transmitted  it  to  his  son. 

•     HIS    EIGHTIETH    BIRTHDAY. 

On  the  occasion  of  his  eightieth  birthday  a  number  of 
his  dear  friends  united  in  making  him  a  present  as  a  testi- 
monial of  affection.  This  was  transmitted  to  him  by  Dr. 
H.  A.  Boardman,  who  also  published  a  graceful  notice  of  the 
anniversary  of  the  beloved  patriarch  in  the  Presbyterian. 
Hence  arose  the  occasion  of  the  following  letters. 

DR.    HODGE   TO    DR.    BOARDMAN. 

PRINCETON,  December  27,  1877. 

My  Dear  Friend : — I  need  not  say  that  your  letter  and  its  inclo- 
sures  were  a  surprise.  Much  less  is  it  necessary  to  assure  you  that  I 


^T.  80.]  HIS  EIGHTIE TH  BIR THDA  Y.  575 

am  very  grateful  to  all  the  friends  named  in  your  letter  for  their 
kindness  and  kind  feeling.  Least  of  all  need  I  say  that  you,  as  the 
alpha  and  omega  of  the  whole,  claim  my  warmest  thanks.  You  are 
not  yet  old  enough  to  know  how  friends  increase  in  value  as  they  de- 
crease in  number.  So  large  a  proportion  of  those  to  whom  I  was 
most  attached,  and  on  whom  I  most  depended,  has  gone  before,  that 
I  cling  like  a  tottering  man  to  those  who  are  left.  Out  of  mere  sel- 
fishness I  pray  that  they  may  be  spared,  and  be  allowed  to  diffuse 
happiness  around  them  to  the  end. 

I  must  beg  you  to  express  my  thanks  to  the  friends  who  have 
joined  you  in  placing  this  chaplet  on  my  hoary  head. 

Your  landlady  (Mrs.  Hodge)  returns  her  acknowledgments  for 
your  New  Year's  card;  it  occupies  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  study. 
With  entire  confidence  and  warm  affection,  your  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGF. 

THE    SAME    TO    THE    SAME. 

PRINCETON,  January  15,  1878. 

My  Dear  Doctor : — If  you  were  in  one  room  and  Angelina  Patti 
singing  in  another,  the  doors  being  opened,  you  would  not  need  ask 
who  it  was.  So  when  I  read  the  article  in  the  last  Presbyterian,  I 
was  at  no  loss  as  to  its  author.  I  knew  only  one  man  who  has  the 
goodness,  the  skill,  the  delicacy  and  refinement  which  it  manifests. 
I  should  be  a  churl  if  I  were  not  grateful  for  such  a  tribute.  Never- 
theless I  cannot  absorb  it.  It  is  a  delusion.  It  is  not  what  I  am,  but 
what  God's  providence  has  done  with  me,  that  you  have  in  the  eye 
of  your  imagination.  Had  I  been  settled  in  a  retired  parish,  no 
body  would  have  ever  heard  my  name.  Besides,  I  believe  that 
every  man,  unless  partially  demented,  whatever  men  may  say  of 
him,  knows  in  his  own  heart  that  he  is  "  a  poor  shote." 

I  don't  believe  that  the  rod  with  which  Moses  smote  the  rock  in 
the  wilderness,  was  any  great  thing  of  a  stick  after  all. 

Nevertheless,  although  I  see  through  your  delusion,  I  am  not  less 
grateful  for  your  goodness  and  love. 

We  are  looking  forward  to  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  before  the 
close  of  the  week. 

Your  affectionate  friend, 

CHARLES  HODGE. 

HIS   WRITING    DURING   THESE    LAST   YEARS. 
He  published  in  the  Repertory,  January  1871,  "Preaching 
the   Gospel  .to   the  Poor,"  and  April   1876,   "Christianity 


576  HIS  LAST  WRITING.  [1878. 

without  Christ."  These  are  his  last  articles  in  that  Review, 
so  long  connected  with  his  name,  and  worthily  close  his 
long  and  consistent  warfare  for  the  truth,  as  it  is  in  Jesus, 
and  for  the  interests  of  his  people.  In  1872  he  wrote  the 
latter  part  of  his  "Systematic  Theology."  In  1874  he 
published  a  small  book  entitled  "Darwinism,"  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  prevailing  doctrine  of  Atheistic  Evolutionism^ 
In  December,  1877,  he  wrote  at  the  request  of  a  member 
of  the  Free  Church  Presbytery  of  Glasgow,  a  letter  defining 
and  maintaining  the  old  doctrine  of  the  plenary  inspiration 
of  the  Scriptures.  And  the  Independent  of  May  pth,  1878, 
published  his  very  last  contribution  to  the  press. 

The  Independent  and  its  correspondent  had  insisted  that 
the  "first  question"  (in  regard  to  the  eternity  of  sin  and 
misery)  "is  not  the  exegetical  but  the  ethical  one.  We 
want  to  know  what  God  says ;  but  it  is  impossible  to 
believe  that  God  says  anything  which  our  moral  sense  tells 
us  he  ought  not  to  say."  In  a  long  and,  as  was  on  all 
hands  admitted,  a  clear  and  forcible  argument,  worthy  of 
his  prime,  Dr.  Hodge  argued  that  this  is  no  new  question, 
and  the  dangers  of  the  present  moment  are  not  beyond 
precedent ;  that  the  difficulty  grows  out  of  the  decline  of 
piety,  and  that  a  clearing  of  the  horizon  was  more  to  be 
expected  through  a  revival  of  religion  than  from  the  specu- 
lations of  those  who  had  rendered  such  a  confused  account 
of  the  matter  in  hand.  He  shows  that  the  word  "  intui- 
tion" is  taken  in  two  senses.  1st.  In  the  proper  sense,  it 
signifies  those  immediate  judgments  of  the  mind,  whether 
intellectual  or  moral,  which  are  necessary  and  universal  in 
all  times.  "  Such  primary  truths  are  part  of  the  primary 
law  written  by  the  finger  of  God  on  the  hearts  of  men. 
They  are  the  barrier  against  utter  skepticism.  The  man 
who  breaks  through  them  plunges  into  the  abyss  of  outer 
darkness."  2.  In  the  popular  sense  of  the  word,  it  means 
"the  immediate  judgment,  whether  a  thing  is  true  or  false, 
right  or  wrong.  They  are  as  variable  as  the  wind,  and  as 


Ml.  80.]  HIS  LAST  WRITING.  577 

unstable  as  water.  To  make  them  the  rule  by  which  to  in- 
terpret the  Word  of  God  is  simply '  to  annihilate  it  as  a  rule 
of  faith  and  practice.  It  is  to  substitute  our  reason  for 
God's  reason,  our  moral  judgments  for  his  moral  judg- 
ments. Whatever  eupheuistic  phraseology  may  be  adopted, 
this  is  the  soul  and  essence  of  infidelity."  He  shows,  then, 
that  the  Independent  and  its  correspondent  had  used  the 
phrase  in  the  popular  sense,  and  hence  that  their  argument 
was  built  upon  false  premises  and  led  to  dangerous  conse- 
quences. 

It  was  claimed  that  we  must  interpret  the  Bible  by  what 
our  moral  sense  teaches.  "  By  moral  sense  here  must  be 
meant  the  moral  sense  of  the  individual  reader.  It  cannot 
by  possibility  mean  those  moral  judgments  which  are  neces- 
sary and  universal.  It  is  a  contradiction  to  say  that  the 
Christian  Church  has  for  ages  believed  what  no  man  can  by 
possibility  believe.  *  *  *  *  What  the  Bible  teaches  is  a 
matter  of  fact.  It  is  a  philosophical  axiom  that  what  all 
men  believe,  in  virtue  of  the  constitution  of  their  nature, 
must  be  true.  It  is  scarcely  less  certain  that  what  all 
Christians  believe  that  the  Bible  teaches,  in  point  of  fact  it 
does  teach." 
37 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


HIS  LAST  DAYS. 


THE  end  came  not  from  positive  disease,  but  from  ex- 
haustion of  nature.  During  the  entire  session  he  had 
met  his  four  appointments  a  week  with  his  classes  with  per- 
fect regularity,  only  two  exceptions  being  remembered.  Yet 
his  strength  was  gradually,  though  almost  imperceptibly  fail- 
ing. He  took  his  nourishment  very  regularly,  but  with  al- 
most no  appetite  and  in  diminishing  quantities.  In  the  early 
spring  he  once  fainted  at  the  table.  Then  his  weak  resources 
were  very  severely  tried  by  the  sudden  deaths  of  two  of 
his  best-beloved  nieces  on  successive  Saturdays  in  April. 
His  record  is  :  "April  6th — Our  dear  niece,  Harriet  Wool- 
sey,  wife  of  Dr.  H.  Lenox  Hodge,  died  suddenly.  She 
apparently  fainted,  and  never  revived.  One  of  the  loveliest 
and  best  of  women."  Then,  alas  !  again:  "April  13 — Died 
suddenly,  Alice  Van  Rensselaer,  wife  of  Rev.  Edward  B. 
Hodge.  The  joy  and  pride  of  her  whole  family  connec- 
tion." On  April  I4th  he  discoursed  for  the  last  time  at  the 
"Conference"  in  the  old  Oratory,  in  which  he  had  delivered 
the  first  student's  speech  a  few  months  more  than  sixty 
years  before.  His  subject  was,  "  Fight  the  Good  Fight  of 
Faith,"  and  on  the  afternoon  of  April  2ist  he  administered 
and  partook  with  the  professors  and  students  in  the  Semi" 
nary  Chapel  of  his  last  communion. 

578 


yET.  80.]  HIS  LAST  DA  YS.  5  79 

It  had  been  his  custom  for  years  to  spend  the  month  of 
May  with  his  brother-in-law,  General  David  Hunter,  in  the 
city  of  Washington,  and  the  months  of  July  and  August  at 
Narragansett  Pier,  Rhode  Island.  From  these  changes  he 
had  hitherto  uniformly  experienced  very  decided  advantage. 
But  at  the  close  of  the  Seminary  term,  on  this  last  year,  his 
physician  and  friends  were  in  great  doubt  whether  his 
strength  was  sufficient  for  either  of  these  journeys.  Sug- 
gestions were  made  with  regard  to  his  seeking  relief  from 
the  midsummer  heats  at  some  nearer  and  more  readily  ac- 
cessible point  on  the  New  Jersey  coast.  But  after  much 
hesitation  he  went  to  Washington  at  the  usual  time,  the  2d 
of  May. 

Then  came  the  death  of  his  life-long  friend,  Prof.  Joseph 
Henry  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute.  For  this  noble  man  of 
science  and  truly  Christian  Philosopher  Dr.  Hodge  had  a 
long-cherished  and  warm  personal  affection,  as  well  as  intel- 
lectual sympathy  and  sincere  admiration.  Professor  Henry 
had  said  of  Dr.  Hodge  that  "  He  had  made  the  best  use  of 
his  talents  his  life  through  of  any  man  he  ever  knew." 
When  visited,  May,  1873,  at  the  Smithsonian  by  a  large 
part  of  the  General  Assembly,  just  retiring  from  their  ses- 
sions in  Baltimore,  he  declared,  in  response  to  their  saluta- 
tions, that  "  by  birth,  by  education,  and  by  preference  he  was 
a  Presbyterian."  The  last  letter,  except  a  few  brief  business 
notes,  he  ever  wrote,  contains  a  statement  of  his  conviction 
that  physical  science  demonstrates  the  existence  of  an  om- 
nipotent, omniscient,  omnipresent  and  absolutely  good  God. 
And  further  than  this,  that  the  facts  of  experience  prove 
the  necessity  of  such  a  mediator  between  God  and  man  as 
Christians  believe  Christ  to  be.  And  that  Christ  he  lived 
and  died  trusting  and  loving. 

Thursday  afternoon,  May  i6th,  Dr.  Hodge  attended  the 
funeral  of  Professor  Henry  in  the  New  York  Avenue  Pres- 
byterian Church.  He  made  a  long  prayer,  emphasizing  in 
climacteric  order  the  great  fundamental  principles  of  the  plan 


580  HIS  LAST  DAYS.  [1878. 

of  salvation,  with  such  an  effort  of  voice  that  he  was  fairly 
well  heard  by  that  vast  audience.  Yet  this  was  simply  the 
result  of  an  exhaustive  excitement.  It  was  the  last  occa- 
sion in  which  he  was  ever  in  a  church.  His  decline,  which 
had  been  marked  ever  since  he  came  to  Washington,  be- 
came now  more  rapid.  He  suffered  from  indigestion,  weak- 
ness, weariness,  and  from  acute  neuralgic  pains.  On  the 
next  Thursday  his  son-in-law,  Colonel  S.  W.  Stockton, 
brought  him  to  Baltimore,  where  they  spent  the  night  with 
the  beloved  family  of  the  Rev.  Andrew  B.  Cross.  On 
Thursday,  by  the  kindness  of  Wolcot  Jackson,  General 
Superintendent  of  the  New  Jersey  division  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad  Co.,  the  limited  express  stopped  for  his  ac- 
commodation at  the  Princeton  Junction.  He  came  in  a 
horizontal  position,  and  as  he  affirmed,  with  more  comfort 
than  ever  before 

His  pulse  indicated  vital  exhaustion,  and  he  gradually 
grew  weaker.  He  rode  out  every  day  up  to  the  2Qth  of 
May.  He  spent  the  days  in  his  old  chair  in  the  study  and 
his  nights  in  his  bed-room,  in  the  second  story,  up  to  the 
2d  Sabbath  of  June.  Then  his  absent  children  were  sum- 
moned, and  then  a  bed  was  erected  for  him  in  the  back  par- 
lor, next  adjacent  his  study,  and  where,  a  generation  before, 
he  had  lectured  to  his  classes  during  his  lameness.  He 
strove  to  spend  the  day-time  in  the  study,  on  the  old  chair, 
to  the  last.  On  one  of  those  very  last  days  he  said  :  "  This 
old  chair  and  I  have  been  growing  to  fit  each  other  for 
forty  years."  When  at  last,  on  Monday,  two  days  before 
he  died,  late  in  the  afternoon,  he  fainted  almost  for  his  bed  ; 
it  was  indeed  a  touching  sight  to  see  him  delay  his  needed 
movement  to  the  other  room  to  the  last  possible  moment, 
as  he  was  as  conscious  as  we  were  that  he  was  leaving  that 
chair  and  study  for  the  last  time.  He  suffered  frequent  pain, 
and  almost  constant  uneasiness  and  distress.  Yet  he  reclined 
and  waited  in  beautiful  patience  and  peace,  his  face  always 
overflowing  with  love,  "  Even  through  the  last  hours  of 


JET.  75  ]  HIS  LAST  DAYS.  581 

his  illness,  when  freedom  from  pain  and  from  torpor  was 
gained  for  a  little,  he  was  alert  and  inquisitive,  with  his 
usual  interest  in  events  around  him,  and  events  of  the  day : 
the  Presbyterian  Assembly,  the  Congress  at  Washington, 
the  Congress  at  Berlin,  the  College  at  Princeton,  and  the 
minutest  concerns  of  his  own  children  and  grand-children 
here  and  elsewhere.  This  rapid  and  wide  synoptical  vision 
was  that  of  a  consciously  dying  man.  For  he  had  been 
busy  in  setting  his  house  in  order,  and  wisely  making  the 
most  exact  arrangements  in  view  of  his  final  demise.  He 
knew  that  death  was  at  hand,  and  though  it  did  come 
sooner  than  he  looked  for,  he  repeatedly  spoke  of  its  ap- 
proach being  '  slow:  "  * 

He  did  not  wish  to  die,  yet  he  was  evidently  without 
the  shadow  of  fear  or  of  painful  reluctance.  He  main- 
tained to  the  last  his  characteristic  aversion  to  being  read 
to,  and  his  shyness  as  to  the  expression  of  his  intimate, 
personal  feelings.  To  a  loving  inquiry  of  his  wife  he  once 
said,  "  Yes,  my  love,  my  Saviour  is  with  me  every  step  of 
the  way,  but  I  am  too  weak  to  talk  about  it."  Once  she 
asked  him  if  it  would  comfort  him  if  she  should  repeat 
aloud  his  favorite  hymn ;  he  answered,  "  No,  dearest,  I  am 
repeating  it  over  and  over  again  to  myself  all  the  while." 

That  his  dying  thoughts  may  be  known  the  hymn  is 
given : 

HYMN    OF   THE    LATE    MRS.    WEISS. 

Daughter  of  the  late  Archbishop  of  Dublin  ;    composed  on  her  death-bed. 

I. 

Jesus,  I  am  never  weary, 

When  upon  this  bed  of  pain  ; 
If  Thy  presence  only  cheer  me, 

All  my  loss  I  count  but  gain, — 

Ever  near  me, — 
Ever  near  me,  Lord,  remain  ! 

*  Dr.  A.  T.  McGill's  letter  to  the  New  York  Observer. 


582  HIS  LAST  DA  YS.  [1878. 

II. 

Dear  ones  come  with  fruit  and  flowers, 

Thus  to  cheer  my  heart  the  while, 
In  these  deeply  anxious  hours ; 

Oh  !  if  Jesus  only  smile  ! — 

Only  Jesus 
Can  these  trembling  fears  beguile. 

III. 

All  my  sins  were  laid  upon  Thee, 

All  my  griefs  were  on  Thee  laid  ; 
For  the  blood  of  Thine  atonement, 

All  my  utmost  debt  has  paid  ; 

Dearest  Saviour ! 
I  believe,  for  Thou  hast  said. 

IV. 

Dearest  Saviour !  go  not  from  me  ; 

Let  Thy  presence  still  abide  ; 
Look  in  tenderest  love  upon  me, — 

I  am  sheltering  at  Thy  side. 

Dearest  Saviour ! 
Who  for  suffering  sinners  died. 

V. 

Both  mine  arms  are  clasped  around  Thee  ; 

And  my  head  is  on  Thy  breast ; 
For  my  weary  soul  has  found  Thee 
Such  a  perfect,  perfect  rest. 

Dearest  Saviour ! 
Now  I  know  that  I  am  blessed. 

Seeing  his  widowed  daughter  weeping  while  she  watched 
him,  he  stretched  his  hand  towards  her  and  said  :  "  Why 
should  you  grieve,  daughter  ?  To  be  absent  from  the  body 
is  to  be  with  the  Lord,  to  be  with  the  Lord  is  to  see  the 
Lord,  to  see  the  Lord  is  to  be  like  Him." 

On  the  Wednesday  previous  to  his  death  his  dear  friend, 
Dr.  H.  A.  Boardman  called,  and  with  great  tenderness  set 
upon  his  forehead  a  farewell  kiss.  On  the  last  day  of  con- 
scious life  he  saw  Dr.  William  Adams,  who  gave  the  follow- 
ing account  of  the  interview  to  the  New  York  Observer. 


JET.  80.]  HIS  LAST  DA  YS.  583 

"Being  in  Princeton,  as  a  trustee  of  the  College,  last 
Tuesday,  and  having  heard  through  the  papers  of  the  ill- 
ness of  Dr.  Hodge,  I  called  at  his  home  to  inquire  how  he 
was.  Hearing  that  I  was  in  the  library  with  his  sons,  Dr.  H. 
requested  to  see  me.  Such  a  request  was  to  me  at  once  a 
surprise  and  a  gratification.  I  found  him  in  extreme  debility, 
so  that  I  immediately  cautioned  him  against  making  any 
effort  to  speak.  He  had  taken  my  hand  as  I  came  to  his 
bedside,  and  held  it  through  the  whole  interview ;  his  con- 
versation with  me  being  chiefly  by  its  responsive  pressure 
and  the  intelligent  expression  of  the  eye.  My  words  were 
very  few,  assuring  him  how  many  there  were  who  held  him 
in  their  thoughts  and  hearts ;  and,  most  of  all,  how  certain 
it  was,  amid  all  his  discomforts,  that  he  was  not  forgotten 
by  Him  who,  knowing  our  frame,  'pitieth  those  who  love 
Him  even  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children/  Both  hand  and 
eye  responded  that  he  felt  the  beauty  and  force  of  that  one 
inspired  word — which  taken  out  from  the  Bible  would  leave 
an  irremediable  vacancy — 'pitieth'  Entirely  conscious  was 
he  as  he  lay  calmly  waiting  for  the  lifting  of  that  curtain 
which  alone  separated  him  from  the  vision  of  his  Lord. 

"  I  have  since  been  informed  that  I  was  the  last  person 
out  of  his  own  family  who  saw  Dr.  Hodge  before  his  death. 
A  few  hours  later  he  passed  into  a  sleep  from  which  there 
was  to  be  no  waking." 

Thus  he  slept  until,  in  trie  presence  of  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren and  elder  grand-children,  life  ebbed  away  entirely  at 
six  o'clock,  P.  M.,  on  Wednesday,  the  iQth  of  June,  on  the 
middle  day  of  Commencement  Week  of  the  College. 

At  one  o'clock  on  Saturday,  the  22d,  an  informal  meeting 
of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  was  held  in  the  lec- 
ture-room of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Princeton, 
where  resolutions  were  passed,  expressive  of  their  sense  of 
the  Christian  elevation  of  his  character,  and  of  the  value  of 
his  services,  and  of  the  loss  involved  in  his  death.  Then 
the  Presbytery,  with  many  other  clergymen,  alumni  of  the 


584  ffls  LAST  DA  YS'  [1878. 

Seminary,  and  others,  met  in  the  chapel,  where  the  remains 
of  the  venerable  Professor  were  borne,  and  for  a  short  time 
presented  to  the  view  of  his  pupils  and  friends.  At  this 
meeting  Dr.  Atwater  presented  another  set  of  appropriate 
resolutions,  at  the  request  of  several  members  of  the  Boards 
of  Directors  and  Trustees  of  the  Institution,  which  were 
unanimously  passed.  The  procession  was  formed  in  the 
grounds  of  the  Seminary,  the  body  being  borne  and  depo- 
sited in  the  grave  only  by  the  sons  and  nephews  of  the 
deceased.  The  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  the  Direc- 
tors and  Trustees  and  other  officers  of  the  Seminary  and 
College  and  other  institutions,  and  other  clergy  and  friends, 
forming  in  line,  proceeded  to  the  First  Presbyterian  Church. 
All  the  stores  in  the  town  were  closed,  and  all  business 
suspended  in  token  of  respect. 

In  the  church  the  Rev.  President  McCosh  read  the  Scrip- 
tures; the  Rev.  Dr.  Paxton,  of  N.  Y.,  delivered  a  funeral 
address  with  admirable  taste  and  effect ;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Adams, 
President  of  Union  Theological  Seminary,  and  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Henry  A.  Boardman,  of  Philadelphia,  offered  prayers. 
The  procession  then  reformed,  and  the  body  was  carried  to 
its  resting  place  in  the  lot  next  to  that  of  the  Alexanders, 
in-  Princeton  Cemetery.  Here,  as  he  was  lowered  into  the 
grave,  his  pastor,  the  Rev.  Horace  G.  Hinsdale,  repeated 
the  fifteenth  chapter  of  First  Corinthians,  and  after  prayer, 
pronounced  the  benediction. 

Resolutions  expressive  of  the  reverence  and  love  with 
which  he  was  regarded,  and  the  sorrow  which  his  death  oc- 
casioned, were  passed  by  the  Trustees  of  the  College,  by 
the  Alumni  of  the  Seminary  at  their  next  annual  meeting, 
and  by  the  various  Boards  and  Societies  of  which  he  was  a 
member.  Cordial  and  appreciative  notices  of  his  death  ap- 
peared as  editorials  in  all  the  papers  of  all  evangelical  de- 
nominations. Especially  it  is  proper  to  notice  three  emi- 
nently intelligent  and  discriminating,  as  well  as  affectionate 
notices  of  his  character  and  achievements:  (i)  An  article 


JET.  80.]  HIS  LAST  DAYS.  585 

on  "The  late  Dr.  Hodge,"  in  the  British  and  Foreign  Evan- 
gelical Review,  October,  1878,  by  his  loved  and  trusted  pu- 
pil, Rev.  Robert  Watts,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Systematic 
Theology  in  the  Assembly's  Theological  College,  Belfast, 
Ireland.  (2)  An  address  delivered  before  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  of  which  Dr.  Hodge  was  a  member  and  life- 
long communicant,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  Lyman  H.  Atwater, 
D.  D.,  for  some  years  his  colleague  in  the  editorship  of  the 
Princeton  Revieiv.  (3)  An  address  by  his  friend,  Dr.  H.  A. 
Boardman,  before  the  Directors  and  Alumni  of  the  Semi- 
nary, in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Sunday  morning, 
April  23d,  1879.  These  addresses  were  printed  and  widely 
circulated.  A  tablet  was  also  erected  to  his  memory  in  the 
chapel  of  the  Seminary,  and  unveiled  with  an  address  by 
Dr.  Boardman,  Tuesday,  April  25th,  of  the  same  year. 

I  append  the  following  selections  from  the  contemporary 
notices  of  his  death,  because  of  their  character,  and  because 
they  furnish  the  testimony  of  Christian  scholars  of  other 
denominations. 

The  editor  of  the  National  Repository,  a  Methodist  maga- 
zine, wrote :  "  Timothy  Dwight,  Nathaniel  Emmons,  Sam- 
uel Hopkins,  Edwards  A.  Park,  Moses  Stuart,  Nathaniel 
W.  Taylor,  Albert  Barnes,  the  Alexanders,  Francis  Way- 
land,  Tayler  Lewis,  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  Bangs,  Fisk,  Mc- 
Clintock,  Whedon,  Bledsoe,  Dr.  True,  whose  loss  we  have 
just  been  called  on  to  mourn  also,  and  a  hundred  others 
have  shed  lustre  on  the  American  name  since  the  era  of  in- 
dependence opened ;  but  none  of  these  can,  in  grandeur  of 
achievement,  compare  with  Charles  Hodge,  who  recently 
died  at  Princeton,  an  octogenarian.  He  was  not  only  par 
excellence  the  Calvinistic  theologian  of  America,  but  the 
Nestor  of  all  American  theology,  and  though  we  differ 
widely  with  him  in  many  things,  we  yet  accept  this  master 
mind  and  beautifully  adorned  life  as  the  grandest  result  of 
our  Christian  intellectual  development.  He  produced  many 
valuable  writings,  but  above  all  stands  his  '  Systematic  The- 


586  HIS  LAST  DA  YS.  [1878. 

ology,'  a  work  which  has  only  begun  its  influence  in  mould- 
ing the  religious  thought  of  the  English-speaking  world. 
We  could  wish  that  its  fallacy  of  dependence  on  the  Calvin- 
istic  theology  were  not  one  of  its  faults.  But  what  is  this 
slight  failing  compared  to  the  masterful  leading  of  a  thou- 
sand, lost  in  speculation,  from  the  labyrinth  of  doubt  and 
despair  to  the  haven  of  heavenly  faith  and  angelic  security  ? 
We  may  say  of  this  now  sainted  man,  '  With  all  thy  faults 
we  love  thee  still.'  Princeton  has  lost  its  greatest  orna- 
ment, the  Presbyterian  Church  its  most  precious  gem,  the 
American  Church  her  greatest  earth-born  luminary." 

The  Congregational  paper,  the  Christian  at  Work,  for 
June  27th,  1878,  edited  by  Dr.  Wm.  M.  Taylor,  contained 
an  editorial  written  by  Dr.  Doolittle,  a  Professor  in  the  Re- 
formed (Dutch)  Church,  and  a  former  pupil  of  Dr.  Hodge. 
He  closes  thus:  "  It  is  not,  however,  as  the  erudite  Profes- 
sor, nor  as  the  masterly  reviewer,  nor  as  the  impressive 
pulpit  orator,  nor  as  the  gifted  author  of  commentaries  and 
theologies,  that  the  venerated  Princetonian  will  be  most 
remembered  by  former  pupils.  It  was  rather  on  those 
fondly  memorable  Sabbath  afternoons  when  he  used  to  un- 
fold before  the  hearts  of  rapt  listeners  the  meaning  of  Scrip- 
ture passages.  Oh,  with  what  sweet  evidences  of  love,  born 
not  of  earth  but  of  heaven  ;  of  unaffected  grace  burning  in 
his  heart  and  beaming,  like  the  glory  of  Moses,  from  his 
countenance — that  he  appeared  at  his  greatest  and  best. 
Can  any  one  that  ever  saw  this  good  man  while  in  the  endea- 
vor to  portray  the  entrance  of  a  divine  life  into  our  human 
life,  opening  unconsciously  the  door  of  his  own  heart,  and 
exhibiting  Jesus  enthroned  there  on  a  believing,  yearning, 
loving,  rejoicing  disposition,  ever  forget  how  he  realized  at 
that  supreme  moment  that  Jesus  is  greater  than  the  greatest 
of  great  men,  that  the  Redeemer  who  could  thus  irradiate 
and  transform  his  worshipper  is  worthy  of  universal  adora- 
tion and  love.  Oh,  profound  earthly  teacher,  thou  wast  yet 
infinitely  less  than  the  Heavenly  Teacher  whose  words  thou 


JET.  80.]  HIS  LAST  DA  YS.  587 

didst  live  to  exemplify  in  thine  own  character  and  utter- 
ances; for  showing  us  this  we  bless  thee  more  than  for  all 
thine  other  works." 

CHARLES    HODGE,  OF    PRINCETON. 

A  Prince,  wise,  valiant,  just,  and  yet  benign; 

His  own  will  free,  and  still  by  law  controlled : 

No  King,  with  armaments  and  fleets  untold, 

Such  mastery  had  with  purpose  so  divine, 

O'er  unseen  forces  active  and  malign. 

He  fought  th'  invisible  spirits  of  the  air, 

Nor  for  himself  alone,  but  for  his  race, 

And  men  grew  wiser,  better,  unaware 

That  he  in  silence,  by  his  faith  and  prayer 

Saved  their  beleaguered  souls.     Spirit  of  Grace 

Who  in  him  wrought,  and  held  him  in  the  strife, 

We  give  Thee  thanks  that  Thou  didst  him  ordain 

Unto  a  work  wherein  no  act  is  vain, 

And  death  but  longer  makes  the  service  and  the  life. 

A.  D.  F.  R. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


DR.  HODGE  CONSIDERED  AS  A  TEACHER,  PREACHER,  THEO- 
LOGIAN AND  CHRISTIAN  MAN. 


I  HAVE  in  the  preceding  chapters  given  the  facts  which 
constitute  what  remain  to  us  in  memory  of  the  earthly 
life  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir.  In  this  chapter  will  be 
presented  a  reflection  of  the  image  he  cast  in  the  several 
offices  he  filled  on  the  minds  of  some  of  the  most  compe- 
tent of  his  pupils  and  friends. 

I.    DR.    HODGE    AS    A   TEACHER   OF   EXEGESIS. 

BY  THE  REV.  BENJAMIN  B.  WARFIELD,  PROFESSOR  OF  THE  WESTERN  THEOLO- 
GICAL SEMINARY,   ALLEGHENY  CITY,   PA. 

Rev.  A.  A.  Hodge : — Remembering  your  request,  I  shall  endeavor 
to  write  absolutely  impartially  the  impressions  made  upon  me  as  a 
student  of  your  father's  exegetical  teaching.  This  is  no  easy  matter, 
the  danger  being  that  like  the  skeptics  I  shall  lean  over  backwards 
from  the  very  effort  not  to  lean  forwards. 

He  taught  exegesis  only  to  the  juniors,  and  although  five  years 
have  elapsed,  the  impressions  made  at  that  time  remain  as  vivid  as 
though  it  were  yesterday.  His  very  mode  of  entering  the  room  was 
characteristic.  Infirm  as  he  was,  he  was  not  bent  by  extreme  age  or 
infirmity ;  his  carriage  was  erect  and  graceful,  and  his  step  always 
firm.  The  mantle  that  hung  from  his  shoulders  during  the  cooler 
months  heightened  the  effect  of  graceful  movement.  I  well  remem- 
ber that  when  he  stepped  into  the  aisle  of  the  first  church  to  welcome 
Drs.  Dorner  and  Christlieb  on  their  visit  to  Princeton,  in  the  autumn 
of  '73,  I  thought  I  had  never  witnessed  a  finer  spectacle  of  strength 
588 


BY  PROFESSOR  WAR  FIELD.  589 

and  grace  combined.  And  yet  it  was  but  an  example  of  his  ordinary 
bearing  ;  he  gave  me  the  same  impression  every  time  he  entered  the 
recitation  room.  After  his  always  strikingly  appropriate  opening 
prayer  had  been  offered,  and  we  had  been  settled  back  into  our  seats, 
he  would  open  his  well  thumbed  Greek  Testament — on  which  it  was 
plain  that  there  was  not  a  single  marginal  note — look  at  the  passage 
for  a  second,  and  then  throwing  his  head  back,  and  closing  his  eyes, 
begin  his  exposition.  He  scarcely  again  glanced  at  the  Testament 
during  the  hour,  the  text  was  evidently  before  his  mind,  verbally, 
and  the  matter  of  his  exposition  thoroughly  at  his  command.  In  an 
unbroken  stream  it  flowed  from  subject  to  subject,  simple,  clear,  co- 
gent, unfailingly  reverent.  Now  and  then  he  would  pause  a  mo- 
ment to  insert  an  illustrative  anecdote — now  and  then  lean  forward 
suddenly  with  tearful,  wide-open  eyes,  to  press  home  a  quick-risen 
inference  of  the  love  of  God  to  lost  sinners.  But  the  web  of  his  dis- 
course— for  a  discourse  it  really  was — was  calm,  critical  and  argumen- 
tative. We  were  expected  to  take  notes  upon  it  and  recite  on  them 
at  our  next  meeting.  This  recitation  was,  however,  brief,  covering 
not  often  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ;  and  we  consequently  felt 
that  lecturing  was  the  main  thing. 

This,  then,  was  how  he  taught  us  exegesis.  The  material  of  the 
lectures  resembled  very  much  his  printed  commentaries.  I  thought 
then,  and  I  think  now,  that  Dr.  Hodge's  sense  of  the  general  mean- 
ing of  a  passage  was  unsurpassed.  He  had  all  of  Calvin's  sense  of 
the  flow  and  connection  of  thought.  Consequently  the  analysis  of 
passages  was  superb.  Nothing  could  surpass  the  clearness  with 
which  he  set  forth  the  general  argument  and  the  main  connections 
of  thought.  Neither  could  anything  surpass  the  analytical  subtlety 
with  which  he  extracted  the  doctrinal  contents  of  passages.  I  can 
never  forget  how  bitingly  clear  his  sentences  often  were,  in  which  he 
set  forth  in  few  words  the  gist  of  a  chapter.  He  seemed  to  look 
through  a  passage,  catch  its  main  drift  and  all  its  theological  bear- 
ings, and  state  the  result  in  crisp  sentences,  which  would  have  been 
worthy  of  Bacon  ;  all  at  a  single  movement  of  mind. 

He  had,  however,  no  taste  for  the  technicalities  of  Exegesis.  He 
did  not  shrink  from  them  in  his  lectures,  indeed ;  but  on  such  points 
he  was  seldom  wholly  satisfactory.  His  discussion  of  disputed 
grammatical  or  lexical  points  had  a  flavor  of  second-handedness 
about  them.  He  appeared  not  to  care  to  have  a  personal  opinion  upon 
such  matters,  but  was  content  to  accept  another's  without  having 
made  it  really"  his  own.  He  would  state,  in  such  cases,  several 
views  from  various  critical  commentators,  and  then  make  choice  be- 
tween them ;  but  I  could  not  always  feel  that  his  choice  was  deter- 


590  AS  A  TEACHER  OF  EXEGESIS. 

mined  by  sound  linguistic  principles.  He  sometimes  seemed  to  be 
quite  as  apt  to  choose  an  indefensible  as  a  plausible  one — guided,  ap- 
parently, sometimes  by  weight  of  name,  sometimes  by  dislike  to  what 
seemed  to  him  over-subtlety,  and, sometimes,  it  seemed,  by  theologi- 
cal predilection. 

He  made  no  claim,  again,  to  critical  acumen ;  and  in  questions 
of  textual  criticism  he  constantly  went  astray.  Hence  it  was  that 
often  texts  were  quoted  to  support  doctrines  of  which  they  did  not 
treat ;  and  a  meaning  was  sometimes  extracted  from  a  passage  which 
it  was  far  from  bearing.  But  this  affected  details  only,  the  general 
flow  of  thought  in  a  passage  he  never  failed  to  grasp,  and  few  men 
could  equal  him  in  stating  it. 

From  what  I  have  written  you  will  see  that  Dr.  Hodge  commanded 
my  respect  and  admiration  as  an  exegete,  while  at  the  same  time 
I  could  not  fail  to  recognize  that  this  was  not  his  forte.  Even  here 
he  was  the  clear,  analytical  thinker,  rather  than  a  patient  collector 
and  weigher  of  detailed  evidence.  He  was  great  here,  but  not  at 
his  greatest.  Theology  was  his  first  love. 

I  would  like  to  say  one  word  before  the  closing  of  my  impressions 
of  your  father  as  a  teacher,  because  I  fear  that  in  writing  to  you  of 
other  things  most  of  your  correspondents  may  neglect  this.  I  have 
sat  under  many  noted  teachers,  and  yet  am  free  to  say  that  as  an 
educator  I  consider  Dr.  Hodge  superior  to  them  all.  He  was  in 
fact  my  ideal  of  a  teacher.  Best  of  all  men  I  have  ever  known,  he 
knew  how  to  make  a  young  man  think.  All  the  rote-learning  that 
could  be  done  could  not  secure  a  good  recitation  to  him.  One  must 
have  so  learned  a  chapter  of  his  theology,  for  instance,  as  to  be  able 
to  apply  all  the  principles  laid  down  in  it  on  need,  in  order  to  be  able 
to  recite  to  him  at  all.  He  had  a  way  too  of  commencing  his  ques- 
tioning away  back  of  these  principles,  and  by  skillful  interrogation 
gradually  making  the  student  evolve  them  for  himself,  so  finely 
managing  it  that  at  last  they  would  burst  upon  him  as  new  and 
self-discovered  facts ;  educed  from  his  own  thoughts.  Thus  they 
were  made  part  of  the  permanent  furniture  of  his  mind — they  were 
no  longer  acquired  things  borrowed  for  occasional  use,  but  his  own, 
"bone  of  his  bone,  and  flesh  of  his  flesh."  After  that  he  could  as 
soon  part  with  life  as  give  them  up. 

I  cannot  hope  either  to  describe  this  mode  of  teaching  or  express 
my  profound  admiration  of  it.  I  can  only  say  that  in  that  room  of 
Systematic  Theology,  I  think  I  had  daily  before  me  examples  of 
perfect  teaching.  The  way  he  managed  his  own  accumulations  of 
learning  too — constantly  drawing  on  them  for  illustration  and  en- 
forcement, constantly  the  master  of  them,  and  of  every  detail  of  them, 


BY  PR  OF.  WARFIELD.  5  9 1 

was  marvelous.  We  think  that  though  learning  is  fuel  to  the  mental 
fire,  yet  there  is  such  a  thing  as  smothering  the  flames  with  a  super- 
abundance of  fuel.  But  "  so  intense  and  ardent  was  the  fire  of  his 
mind  that  it  was  not  only  not  suffocated  beneath  this  weight  of  fuel, 
but  penetrated  the  whole  superabundant  mass  with  its  own  heat  and 
radiance."  Every  jot  of  that  learning,  consecrated  to  the  Master's 
cause,  was  ready  to  be  utilized  in  the  recitation  room.  Every  jot  of 
it  was  Christianized  by  its  passage  through  his  mind  from  whatever 
source  it  was  drawn.  Had  I  never  gained  another  thing  at  Princeton, 
I  would  bless  God  for  permitting  me  to  see  this  !  O  si  sic  emnes  ! 
Believe  me  as  ever,  yours,  etc. 

BENJAMIN  B.  WARFIELD. 


II.  DR.  HODGE  AS  A  TEACHER  OF  DIDACTIC  THEOLOGY  AND 
AS  A  PREACHER,  BY  DR.  WM.  M.  PAXTON,  OF  NEW  YORK. 

1st.  As  a  Teacher  of  Theology. 

It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  think  of  Dr.  Charles  Hodge, 
as  I  remember  him  when  I  was  a  student ;  and  to  mingle 
those  early  impressions  with. my  riper  judgment  of  his  gifts 
and  character,  when  in  after  life  we  were  brought  into  more 
intimate  relations. 

I  entered  the  Seminary  at  the  time  when  he  was  recover- 
ing from  a  painful  illness  which  confined  him  to  his  couch 
for  a  long  period — during  which  the  grace  of  God  had 
wrought  in  him  such  a  matured  and  happy  Christian  expe- 
rience, that  his  face  shone  in  brightness  and  beauty  as  if  it 
had  been  the  "face  of  an  angel."  This  was  noticed  by  all 
the  students,  and  was  the  frequent  occasion  of  remark. 
When  he  came  into  the  class-room,  still  lame,  leaning  on 
a  staff,  and  blushing  like  a  bashful  boy,  our  sympathy  was 
excited — but  when  he  took  his  seat  upon  the  chair,  the 
glance  which  he  cast  upon  the  class  was  one  of  such  beam- 
ing benevolence  mingled  with  such  quiet  peace  that  we  all 
felt  he  had  come  in  the  spirit  of  the  Apostle  John,  to  teach 
us  out  of  his  own  deep  spiritual  intuitions  the  mystery  of 
the  kingdom  of  God. 


592  AS  A  TEACHER  OF  THEOLOGY. 

His  characteristics  as  a  teacher  of  theology  were  dis- 
tinctly marked.  • 

The  first  impression  which  he  made  upon  the  student 
was,  his  deep  sincerity.  It  was  his  custom  to  introduce 
each  lecture  with  a  short  prayer,  which  was  so  simple,  so 
humble,  and  so  manifestly  the  expression  of  a  heart  in 
close  fellowship  with  God,  as  to  impress  upon  our  minds 
the  conviction — This  is  not  a  perfunctory  professor,  but  a 
man  of  deep  experience,  who  comes  to  "  testify  what  he 
knows."  The  whole  spirit  and  tone  of  the  lecture  was  such 
as  to  deepen  this  impression.  He  did  not  teach  a  system 
which  he  had  wrought  out,  but  truths  the  power  of  which 
he  had  felt  in  his  own  soul. 

A  second  characteristic  of  his  preaching  was,  the  perfect 
clearness  with  which  he  presented  every  subject.  His  mind 
was  both  analytical  and  synthetical.  Sometimes  he  com- 
bined thought  with  singular  power.  His  resources  of 
knowledge  were  large,  and  he  often  drew  together  truths 
and  facts  from  various  quarters  and  built  up  massive,  cu- 
mulative arguments  that  we  could  see  increasing  in  force 
and  power  until  they  reached  an  irresistible  demonstration. 
But  his  chief  power  was  analysis.  A  subject,  as  if  by 
magic,  seemed  to  fall  in  pieces  in  his  hands,  in  its  most 
lucid,  logical,  and  striking  form.  The  student  often  looked 
on  with  astonishment  to  see  how  the  light  penetrated  a 
subject,  and  how  the  most  abstruse  things  seemed  reduced 
to  perfect  simplicity.  This  clearness  of  thought,  which 
was  one  of  his  great  elements  of  power  as  an  educator, 
arose  partly  from  his  comprehensiveness  of  mind,  and  his 
peculiar  capacity  to  balance  points  of  thought  and  to  ex- 
hibit them  in  all  their  relations  and  adjustments.  We  take 
it  to  be  the  attribute  of  a  great  mind  to  make  difficult 
subjects  simple  and  clear.  It  is  just  here  that  Dr.  Hodge 
shows  his  superiority  to  other  men.  His  intellect  pene- 
trated so  far  down  into  the  deep  well  of  truth,  that  the 
water  which  he  brought  up  was  as  clear  as  crystal. 


B  Y  DR.  .  WM.  M.  PAXTON. 


Connected  with  his  lucid  thinking  was  his  unusual  capa- 
city for  putting  questions.  He  had  no  vague  generalities, 
he  left  nothing  ambiguous,  his  questions  went  directly  to 
the  heart  of  the  subject.  He  had  the  faculty  of  putting 
and  of  following  up  his  questions  with  such  skill  as  to 
stimulate  the  mind  of  the  pupil  in  the  highest  degree  and 
to  make  him  detect  and  correct  his  own  fallacies.  In  his 
examination  of  the  class  he  was  always  kind  and  genial,  and 
sometimes  his  vein  of  humor  came  to  the  surface.  On  one 
occasion  he  asked  a  student  what  the  Apostle  Paul  meant 
by  the  expression,  "  I  am  sold  under  sin."  "  He  meant," 
replied  the  student,  "  that  he  was  taken  in,  or  deceived  by 
sin."  "Oh  no,"  exclaimed  the  Doctor,  his  eyes  sparkling 
with  fun,  "  Paul  was  not  a  Yankee." 

Third.  Another  marked  feature  of  Dr.  Hodge's  teaching 
was  its  Scripturalness.  He  taught,  not  what  he  thought, 
but  what  God  said,  not  what  a  certain  system  required,  but 
what  the  Scriptures  reveal  ;  not  what  the  learning  or  piety 
of  past  ages  has  formulated,  but  what  the  sure  word  of 
truth  has  enunciated.  With  him,  the  simple  question 
was,  What  do  the  Scriptures  teach  ?  And  when  this  was 
ascertained  by  the  light  which  the  study  of  the  original 
languages  and  exegetical  investigation  threw  upon  it,  he 
did  not  think  that  it  was  our  province  to  stop  and  inquire 
whether  this  was  in  harmony  with  our  own  reason,  but  to 
accept  it  with  an  humble  and  trustful  spirit.  When  God 
speaks,  and  we  understand  his  meaning,  there  is  nothing 
left  for  us  but  to  bow  and  adore. 

From  the  earliest  ages  there  has  been  a  strong  tendency 
upon  the  part  of  theological  teachers  to  strain  after  novel- 
ties. There  has  been  an  impression  that  even  in  this 
sense,  Theology  is  a  progressive  science,  and  that  things 
old  must  be  constantly  giving  place  to  things  new.  Hence 
the  teacher  must  show  his  superiority  to  all  who  have  ever 
preceded  him  by  discovering  in  the  Scriptures  what  no  one 
had  ever  found  before  ;  or  if  he  fails  in  this,  he  must  exert 
38 


594 


AS  A  TEACHEK  OF  THEOLOGY. 


his  own  ingenuity  to  invent  a  new  system,  and  then  show 
his  power  to  twist  the  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures  to  its 
support.  Hence  the  whole  track  of  the  Church's  history  is 
strewn  with  novelties. 

From  all  such  tendencies  Dr.  Hodge  was  absolutely  ex- 
empt. From  originalities  in  this  sense  he  shrank  with 
alarm.  On  the  day  of  his  semi-centennial  celebration,  he 
turned  with  a  beautiful  simplicity  to  his  brethren  and  said 
that  "  Princeton  had  never  been  charged  with  originating  a 
new  idea."  To  his  mind  this  was  a  high  distinction.  It  is 
mind  that  has  made  Princeton  a  synonym  for  greatness, 
but  it  was  mind  that  feared  God  and  never  dared  to  origi- 
nate what  He  had  not  taught. 

Another  tendency  in  the  history  of  the  Church  is  to 
mingle  God's  truth  with  the  world's  philosophy,  and  the 
admixture  is  sometimes  proudly  called  a  Philosophic  Theo- 
logy. We  occasionally  hear  certain  teachers  styled  Philo- 
sophic Theologians.  The  appellation  is  designed  to  be 
complimentary,  but  it  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  if  such 
men  do  not  stand  directly  within  sweep,  their  hair  at  least 
wilt  be  ruffled  with  the  wind  of  Paul's  tremendous  denun- 
ciation, "Though  I  or  an  angel  from  heaven  preach  any 
other  gospel  unto  you,  let  him  be  accursed." 

This  peril  Dr.  Hodge  avoided  with  a  conscientious  hon- 
esty, and  with  the  most  entire  success.  He  did  not  teach 
a  philosophy,  but  a  theology.  Neither  his  system,  as  a 
whole,  or  any  part  of  it,  was  based  upon  philosophical 
principles  apart  from  the  Word  of  God.  We  do  not  mean 
to  undervalue  philosophy,  nor  do  we  mean  to  intimate  that 
Dr.  Hodge  had  any  light  estimation  of  its  worth.  He  was 
a  philosopher  as  well  as  a  theologian.  In  all  his  teachings 
he  was  abreast  of  the  times.  There  was  nothing  in  science 
or  philosophy  which  he  did  not  strive  to  master,  and  when 
such  points  came  up  in  the  course  of  theological  discussion 
he  showed  how  capable  he  was  of  pointing  out  ever}'  line 
of  agreement,  and  every  point  of  contrast,  and  of  exhibiting 


BY  DR.   WM.  M.  PAX  TON. 


595 


the  hollow  pretences  of  every  philosophy,  falsely  so  called. 
It  was  just  because  of  this  mastery  that  he  was  able  to 
keep  philosophy  in  its  proper  place.  He  never  sought  to 
ally  it  with  Gospel  truth.  Every  student  remembers,  and 
his  public  works  now  show,  with  what  a  simple  confidence 
he  rested  upon  the  Word  of  God  for  every  proof,  and  that 
he  never  asked  us  to  accept  any  one  point  of  doctrine 
simply  on  the  ground  of  a  rational  demonstration.  He  was 
not  a  rationalist  in  any  sense  of  the  word.  His  sole 
authority  for  eveiything  was  the  teaching  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. 

Fourthly.  Still  another  feature  of  Dr.  Hodge's  teaching 
was  its  spirituality. 

The  teaching  of  some  great  and  good  Professors  is 
purely  intellectual ;  they  develop  splendid  systems,  reason 
with  interest  and  force,  and  communicate  abundance  of 
instruction,  but  the  impression  which  they  make  is  purely 
intellectual.  The  students  listen  with  a  profound  attention, 
just  as  students  in  other  schools  listen  to  lectures  upon  law 
and  medicine — and  go  away,  instructed,  indeed,  but  without 
any  spiritual  or  moral  impression  upon  their  minds  or 
hearts.  The  reverse  of  all  this  was  true  of  Dr.  Hodge. 
His  was  not  a  dead  theology.  It  was  instinct  with  life. 
What  he  gave  us  was  bread  from  our  Father's  table.  It 
was  life  to  his  soul,  and  he  dispensed  it  to  us  under  the  deep 
conviction  that  it  would  be  life  to  us,  and  that  we  could 
make  it  the  Word  of  life  to  others.  His  great  intellect 
shone  in  every  discussion,  but  it  was  accompanied  with 
spiritual  power,  and  it  made  upon  us  a  deep  practical 
impression.  He  created  an  interest  in  the  study  of  sci- 
entific theology,  but  his  impression  on  us  did  not  stop 
there ;  he  made  us  feel  that  we  were  dealing  with  sacred 
things,  and  that  these  truths  were  to  be  to  us  and  to  others 
"  savors  of  life  unto  life  or  death  unto  death." 

A  Fifth  distinguished  feature  of  Dr.  Hodge's  teaching 
was  what  may  be  called  its  Christocentric  character. 


596  AS  A  TEACHER  OF  THEOLOGY. 

Christ  was  the  centre  of  his  whole  system.  What  he 
taught  was  "The  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.'*  In  this  view 
all  truth  has  its  relations  to  Jesus,  and  nothing  is  truth  in 
its  highest  sense,  until  it  is  seen  and  understood  in  this 
relation.  There  is  truth  in  astronomy  and  geology,  but 
these  truths  only  attain  their  full  significance  when  they  are 
seen  in  their  relation  to  Christ,  and  it  is  understood,  that 
the  planets  and  stars  and  solid  granite  were  made  by  Him, 
and  that  the  end  of  their  existence  is  to  subserve  his  pur- 
pose. Separate  what  are  called  the  truths  of  science  from 
Christ,  and  they  either  lose  their  significance  or  become 
false  lights  that  lure  us  into  error.  As  in  nature  all  things 
are  luminous  by  reflecting  the  light  of  the  sun,  so  in  his 
theology,  all  things  shine  in  the  light  of  Christ  and  his 
cross.  There  was  no  point  in  his  whole  system  of  theo- 
logy that  did  not  derive  its  chief  meaning  from  its  relation 
to  Christ.  Did  he  speak  of  God — it  was  God  in  Christ. 
"  He  is  the  revelation  of  the  invisible  God."  When  Pro- 
fessor Albert  Dod  died  at  Princeton,  he  left  this  message 
for  the  students  of  the  College :  "  Tell  them  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  God  whom  I  worship."  When  Dr.  Hodge  in 
the  funeral  address  delivered  this  message  to  the  students 
which  crowded  the  galleries,  he  threw  into  it  a  meaning 
that  thrilled  and  penetrated  every  heart.  Did  he  treat  of 
creation — it  was  the  act  of  Christ.  "All  things  were 
created  by  Him,  and  without  Him  was  not  anything  made 
that  was  made."  He  knew  nothing  of  a  God  who  identi- 
fied himself  with  nature,  his  God  was  extra-mundane,  and 
creation  was  not  part  of  himself  but  the  effect  of  his  fiat. 
He  made  this  world  for  a  purpose,  and  how  grand  it  now 
is  as  the  arena  of  redemption.  Did  he  treat  of  Provi- 
dence— it  is  the  moral  government  of  Christ  over  this 
world,  "  sustaining  all  things  by  the  word  of  his  power," 
and  directing  all  things  in  the  interests  of  his  Church.  Did 
he  treat  of  the  fall — it  was  in  the  light  of  the  cross.  The 
first  Adam  is  best  interpreted  by  the  second  Adam.  Our 


BY  DR.    WM.  M.  PA  XT  ON.  597 

ruin  is  best  understood  by  our  recovery,  the  greatness  of 
our  loss  is  demonstrated  by  the  greatness  of  the  price  of 
our  redemption.  In  the  same  manner,  he  taught  us  to 
look  upon  every  subject  as  related  to  Christ.  Man  is 
nothing,  Christ  is  everything.  We  have  no  worthiness, 
Christ  is  altogether  worthy :  He  was  so  identified  with  us 
that  he  stood  for  us,  we  are  so  united  to  him  that  we  stand 
in  him ;  our  acceptance  with  God  from  beginning  to  end  is 
"  in  the  beloved."  He  is  the  ground  of  our  Election, 
the  foundation  of  our  Justification,  the  fontal  head  of  our 
Regeneration,  the  means  and  medium  of  our  Sanctification, 
and  the  efficient  cause  and  model  of  our  glorification.  He 
is  all  in  all,  and  we  are  complete  in  Him. 

I  remember  that  as  students  under  Dr.  Hodge  we  were 
deeply  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  the  thought  most 
in  his  mind  was  Christ,  the  being  nearest  his  heart  Was 
Christ,  the  centre  of  all  his  theology  was  Christ.  Now 
that  many  years  have  passed,  and  I  have  heard  other  teach- 
ers and  read  other  authors,  the  impression  grows  upon  me 
as  I  remember  my  early  instructor,  that  no  teacher,  no 
author,  so  centralizes  all  things  in  Christ,  or  so  uses  all 
things  to  glorify  Christ. 

What  I  have  thus  far  said  of  Dr.  Hodge  embodies  my 
estimate  of  him  as  he  rises  upon  my  memory,  sitting  in  the 
class-room,  and  instructing  us  as  students.  Since  that 
time,  however,  his  great  work  upon  Theology,  in  three 
volumes,  has  appeared,  embodying  the  matured  results  of 
his  life  of  thought  and  study.  The  estimate  which  the 
Church  and  the  world  will  form  of  him  as  a  theologian  will 
be  determined  by  this  work.  We  are  willing  that  he  shall 
be  so  judged.  Our  own  estimate  is  deepened  and  strength- 
ened as  we  read  these  wonderful  pages.  We  recognize 
familiar  features  in  the  book,  but  it  is  essentially  a  new 
work.  I  took  elaborate  notes  of  his  lectures,  and  have 
them  still,  in  three  bound  volumes ;  but  there  is  not  a 
single  subject  which  is  not  changed  both  as  to  matter  and 


598  AS  A   TEACHER  OF  THEOLOGY. 

treatment.  The  thought  is  wholly  recast,  new  accumula- 
tions of  learning  are  added,  and  the  discussion  adapted  to 
the  most  recent  phases  of  thought  and  opinion.  The  im- 
pression which  it  makes  upon  me  is  that  of  massive  learn- 
ing, of  profound  original  investigation,  of  close,  accurate, 
irresistible  logic,  and  of  a  comprehensiveness  which  takes 
in  the  vast  reach  of  thought  in  all  its  biblical  and  philoso- 
phical connections,  and  exhibits  each  point  of  truth  in  its 
relations  to  the  whole. 

The  spirit  of  charity  which  reigns  in  this  book  will 
reflect  honor  upon  its  author  in  all  time.  Theology  and 
controversy  are  inseparable,  but  here  is  controversy  in  its 
most  beautiful  and  attractive  form.  He  has  no  word  of  bit- 
terness to  utter,  every  sentence  is  kind,  every  difference  of 
opinion  is  stated  with  fairness,  and  every  argument  is  dis- 
tinguished by  candor  and  courtesy.  Such  volumes  as  these 
will  do  much  to  redeem  theology  from  the  discredit  which 
the  asperities  of  controversy  have  thrown  upon  it. 

The  system  of  theology  which  Dr.  Hodge  leaves  us  is 
the  old  system  which  has  been  precious  to  the  hearts  of 
saints  in  all  ages,  and  yet  in  an  important  sense  it  is  his 
own  system.  Many  recognize  originality  in  nothing  but 
novelty,  but  in  a  far  higher  sense  Dr.  Hodge's  system  is 
original — it  may  be  called  Augustinian.  Upon  the  day  of 
his  semi-centennial,  he  was  called  the  greatest  living  Au- 
gustinian theologian.  The  leading  features  of  these  systems 
are  alike.  The  great  doctrines  of  grace  which  Augustine 
developed  from  the  Scriptures  with  so  much  power,  are  no 
less  characteristic  features  of  Dr.  Hodge's  theology.  They 
both  had  the  unction  from  the  Holy  One  which  teaches 
all  things.  They  both  speak  from  the  depths  of  a  profound 
spiritual  experience.  They  were  both  natural  logicians, 
and  were  prone  to  formulate  their  thought  in  a  systematic 
expression;  but  the  system  of  Dr.  Hodge  is  far  more 
learned,  far  more  intelligent  and  complete  than  that  of 
Augustine.  It  is  founded  upon  original  investigation,  and 


BY  DR.  WM.  M.  PAXTON.  599 

contains  points  of  thought  and  methods  of  proof  of  which 
Augustine  never  dreamed. 

It  may  also  be  called  Calvinistic,  and  yet  the  idea  which 
arises  in  the  popular  mind  at  the  word  Calvinism  is  not 
realized  in  the  system  of  Dr.  Hodge.  There  are  two  ways 
of  presenting  the  same  truth  or  doctrine ;  the  one  is  in  its 
hard,  severe,  repulsive  ^form,  and  the  other  in  its  no  less 
true  but  attractive  garb.  The  shield  of  our  faith  has  two 
sides ;  the  one  is  a  dark  iron  side,  the  other  is  its  bright 
brazen  side.  To  look  on  either  side  alone,  will  convey  a 
false  idea.  It  is  only  when  we  see  them  both  in  their  unity 
and  harmony  that  we  get  the  true  impression.  This  har- 
mony Dr.  Hodge  realized  with  great  success.  There  is  not 
one  point  of  the  Calvinistic  system  that  he  obscures,  but  he 
lets  in  upon  it  the  full  light  of  God's  love  and  mercy  until 
the  heart  melts  into  submission  to  His  sovereignty. 

The  system  of  Dr.  Hodge  may  also  be  said  to  be  that  of 
the  Westminster  Confession  and  Catechisms,  but  he  fills  out 
those  statements  of  doctrine  in  a  much  more  complete  and 
rounded  form.  The  statements  of  the  Confession  are  so 
accurate  that  we  could  never  consent  to  the  alteration  of  a 
single  formula,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  need  to 
be  supplemented  by  those  views  of  God's  love  and  mercy 
and  grace  under  which  every  doctrine  of  God's  Word 
should  be  made  to  shine  in  its  practical  presentation.  To 
the  expounding  of  these  doctrines  in  this  light  Dr.  Hodge 
was  eminently  fitted.  His  heart  was  filled  with  the  love  of 
God,  and  this  light  he  shed  over  every  doctrine,  whilst  at 
the  same  time  his  logical  perception  was  so  clear  that  he 
never  sacrificed  a  point  of  truth  out  of  the  mere  gush  of 
emotion. 

But  whilst  it  is  true  that  in  all  these  respects  the  theology 
of  Dr.  Hodge  is  the  old  system  that  is  rendered  sacred  to 
us  by  the  faith  and  experience  of  ages,  it  is,  nevertheless,  in 
an  important  sense  his  own.  It  is  his  own  conception  of 
what  the  Scriptures  teach.  He  has  reached  these  same 


6OO  AS  A  PREACHER. 

conclusions  by  his  own  independent  line  of  thought.  It  is 
the  result  of  his  own  original  investigation,  and  of  his 
exegetical  examination  of  the  divine  record.  He  has  for- 
mulated the  statement  in  his  own  way,  articulated  the  sys- 
tem in  his  own  logical  sequences,  and  established  it  by  his 
own  proofs  and  modes  of  reasoning.  His  book  remains  to 
the  Church  as  a  precious  treasure.  ,As  a  living  theologian 
he  exerted  a  formative  influence  upon  the  theology  of  this 
country  in  the  times  of  controversy  and  change,  and  now 
when  he  is  gone  this  book  will  impress  itself  with  great 
power  upon  the  thought  of  ages  to  come. 

AS    A   PREACHER. 

2d.  As  a  preacher,  Dr.  Hodge  was  distinguished  by  the 
same  characteristics  which  marked  him  as  a  theologian. 

He  was  not  an  orator  in  the  common  sense  of  the  term. 
He  was  too  able  to  be  popular.  His  train  of  thought  was 
usually  above  the  comprehension  of  the  majority  of  hearers 
in  an  ordinary  congregation.  It  was  his  habit  to  use  a 
manuscript,  and  his  reading  was  not  animated.  It  is  true, 
however,  upon  the  other  hand,  that  he  was  listened  to  by 
people  of  thought  and  education  with  the  greatest  interest.  He 
always  treated  great  subjects,  and  his  clear  thought,  to  those 
who  would  appreciate  him,  was  like  water  from  a  crystal 
spring.  I  have  frequently  heard  professional  men  speak 
with  great  satisfaction  of  the  way  in  which  their  minds  had 
been  cleared  upon  certain  subjects  by  hearing  Dr.  Hodge 
preach.  Others  have  quoted  sayings  which  he  uttered,  and 
passages  from  his  sermons  which  had  made  an  impression 
upon  their  whole  lives.  His  sermons  upon  public  occasions 
were  always  great,  because  he  selected  important  themes,  and 
bestowed  such  thought  and  care  upon  their  preparation. 
His  sermon,  for  example,  upon  "  the  teaching  office  of  the 
Church,"  delivered  before  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
will  remain  as  a  treatise  of  permanent  value,  to  instruct  all 


BY  DR.   WM.  M.  PAX  TON.  6OI 

those  who  wish  to  understand  the  principles  which  underlie 
the  work  of  Missions. 

The  students  who  heard  his  preaching  in  the  chapel  will 
also  remember  a  tender  and  devotional  strain  which  often 
mingled  with  his  great  lines  of  thought,  and  produced  a 
deep  and  lasting  influence  upon  our  hearts.  Of  this  cha- 
racter I  remember  particularly  a  sermon  upon  our  Lord's 
invitation  to  the  "  laboring  and  heavy  laden,"  which  stirred 
the  hearts  of  the  students  profoundly.  It  was  just  such  a 
sermon  as  would  stimulate  a  great  revival  of  religion. 

As  a  public  speaker,  Dr.  Hodge  was  most  effective  when 
he  did  not  use  a  manuscript.  On  a  few  occasions,  before 
smaller  audiences,  he  spoke  in  this  way,  and  always  with 
much  impression.  This  left  him  free  to  be  influenced  by 
his  strong  emotional  nature,  which  sometimes  rose  into  as- 
cendency, and  invested  him  with  the  power  of  a  great 
orator.  No  one  who  was  present  will  ever  forget  an  im- 
promptu address  which  he  delivered  in  the  First  Church, 
in  Princeton,  about  the  time  his  son  sailed  as  a  missionary 
to  India.  His  fatherly  affection  working  in  unison  with  his 
religious  feeling,  awoke  him  to  a  power  of  pathos  which 
thrilled  the  whole  assembly  with  a  wonderful  impulse. 
Another  instance  of  a  similar  kind  occurred  at  the  funeral 
of  Professor  Dod.  They  had  been  intimate  friends.  They 
were  both  great  thinkers,  and  had  often  talked  together 
upon  the  greatest  themes.  Dr.  Hodge  had  been  with  Pro- 
fessor Dod  in  his  last  hours,  when  his  heart  had  been 
opened  to  speak  of  Christ,  and  his  dying  confidence.  With 
these  powerful  impressions  upon  his  mind,  he  arose  to  de- 
liver his  funeral  address.  Professor  Dod  had  left  with  him  a 
message  for  the  College  students.  When  he  came  to  that 
point  in  his  discourse,  his  heart  swelled,  and  lifting  his  head 
from  the  manuscript,  he  stood  erect,  and  waving  his  hand 
to  the  students  who  sat  in  the  gallery,  whilst  the  tears 
poured  down  his  face,  he  delivered  the  message  with  a  gust 
of  emotion  that  went  through  that  audience  like  the  sweep 


602  HIS  SOCIAL   QUALITIES. 

of  a  storm  through  the  forest.  All  hearts  were  broken, 
and  for  a  moment  were  held  and  swayed  by  a  mighty 
power.  The  scene  stands  before  my  mind  this  moment  as 
the  most  powerful  effect  of  oratory  which  I  have  ever 
witnessed. 

III.  His  SOCIAL  QUALITIES,  AND  THE  MAIN  TRAITS  OF  HIS 

RELIGIOUS  CHARACTER,  BY  His  LIFE-LONG  FRIEND,  REV. 

DR.  HENRY  A.  BOARDMAN,  OF  PHILADELPHIA. 

1st.  His  social  qualities. 

A  retired  student,  in  close  and  habitual  communion  with 
the  master-minds,  ancient  and  modern,  in  the  realms  of 
Biblical  criticism  and  theology,  he  was  no  pent-up  recluse 
who  saw  nothing  and  cared  for  nothing  beyond  the  sphere 
of  his  own  professional  engagements.  His  sympathies  were 
as  broad  as  our  common  humanity.  And  so  vigilant  an  ob- 
server was  he  of  events,  that  nothing  of  importance  escaped 
his  notice  as  he  looked  out  through  the  loop-holes  of  his 
retreat  upon  the  great  Babel. 

His  visitors  were  sure  to  find  him  as  much  at  home  with 
the  questions  of  the  day,  scientific  or  literary,  political  or 
financial,  domestic,  foreign  or  international,  as  though  these 
had  been  his  special  study.  Deep  thinkers  are  apt  to  be 
poor  talkers.  It  was  pleasant  to  sit  down  with  a  man  who, 
without  being  like  Madame  de  Stael,  simply  "  admirable  in 
monologue,"  could  interest  and  instruct  you  upon  any  topic 
you  might  propose. 

His  home  was  in  the  empire  of  the  affections.  Never  did 
a  more  kindly,  loving  heart  throb  in  a  human  bosom. 
There  were  those  of  old  who  said  to  the  Master,  "  Thou 
hast  a  devil."  What  wonder  that  some  of  their  successors 
should  charge  the  disciple  with  bigotry,  intolerance,  malig- 
nity ?  All  they  knew  or  cared  to  know  was,  that  he  was 
the  accredited  defender  of  a  theology  they  hated.  Accus- 
tomed as  they  are  to  associate  with  its  avowed  creed  ideas 
of  narrow-mindedness,  virulence,  and  the  like,  they  must 


BY  REV.  DR.  ff.  A.  BOARDMAN.  603 

needs  take  it  for  granted  that  the  Pontifex  Maximus  of  this 
creed  was  the  very  incarnation  of  these  amiable  qualities. 
Had  they  charged  simply  that  he  was  resolute  in  maintain- 
ing his  opinions;  that  he  would  make  no  compromise  with 
what  he  believed  to  be  error;  that  no  adverse  array  of  num- 
bers, talent,  official  station,  or  personal  vituperation,  could 
repress  the  frankest  expression  of  his  sentiments  on  all  fit- 
ting occasions ;  that,  in  a  word,  truth  was  dearer  to  him 
than  life,  and  he  would  have  stood  for  it  like  Luther  at 
Worms,  with  an  empire  or  a  world  in  arms  against  it;  had 
this  been  the  indictment,  no  one  could  have  traversed  it- 
But  when  it  comes  to  be  a  question  of  tone  and  temper,  it  is 
a  different  matter.  Here  he  was  a  very  child.  Not  one  of 
his  various  eulogists  has  failed  to  advert  to  this  feature  of 
his  character.  Addicted  as  he  was  to  laborious  study  in 
the  grandest  fields  open  to  our  research,  and  capable,  be- 
yond most  men,  of  scaling  the  heights  and  sounding  the 
depths  which  define  the  limits  of  human  thought,  he 
entered  with  a  lively  zest  into  the  current  talk  of  the 
hour,  the  amusements  of  children,  the  petty  news-gather- 
ings of  his  visitors — nothing,  indeed,  was  too  trivial  to 
interest  him. 

In  society,  he  was  no  monopolist  like  Coleridge  and 
Macaulay,  but,  as  already  hinted,  he  was  certainly  one  of 
the  most  fascinating  of  talkers.  A  very  noticeable  thing 
about  him  was  the  facility  with  which  he  would  pass  from 
the  lightest  to  the  gravest  themes.  Abounding  as  he  did  in 
anecdote,  no  boy  enjoyed  a  good  story  more.  Grim  Cal- 
vinist  as  he  was  said  to  be,  his  airy  spirit  revealed  itself  in 
a  tide  of  humor  as  inexhaustible  as  it  was  refreshing.  Wit 
he  had,  no  less;  as  many  a  remembered  pleasantry,  and 
many  a  sentence  in  his  polemical  essays  will  attest.  But 
this  keener  weapon  was  kept  more  in  reserve.  It  was  wit 
as  refined  and  sweetened  into  humor  by  sympathy,  tender- 
ness and  affection,  that  set  off  to  such  advantage  his  massive 
intellectual  powers,  and  sparkled  through  his  conversation 


604  HIS  SOCIAL  QUALITIES. 

like  the  shimmer  of  the  moonbeams  upon  the  rippling  lake. 
This  beautiful  gift — for  such  it  surely  is — never  degenerated 
with  him  into  irreverence,  coarseness,  or  buffoonery.  It 
never  carried  him  so  far  away  from  the  cross  and  its  sublime 
verities  that  he  could  not  pass  at  once,  and  without  violence 
to  his  own  feelings  or  those  of  others,  from  the  sprightliest 
to  the  gravest  topics ;  from  the  commerce  of  small  talk, 
bristling  with  amusing  reminiscences  and  brilliant  repartee, 
to  the  discussion  of  some  subtle  question  of  metaphysics  or 
theology,  or  the  luminous  exposition  of  some  controverted 
scripture.  Whatever  the  company  or  the  theme,  he  was  al- 
ways natural.  He  never  paraded  his  learning  ;  never  intro- 
duced a  topic  for  the  sake  of  "showing  off"  upon  it;  never 
assumed,  in  his  intercourse  with  his  students  or  others,  an 
air  of  superiority.  His  world-wide  fame  brought  to  his  hos- 
pitable door  numerous  visitors  from  remote  States  and  for- 
eign countries ;  and  nothing  surprised  and  charmed  them 
more  than  the  perfect  simplicity  and  the  quiet,  unostenta- 
tious manners  of  the  man  whom  they  had  been  accustomed 
to  look  at  from  a  distance  with  a  sort  of  awe.  With  that 
inborn  refinement  and  courtesy  which  came  of  his  gentle 
blood,  he  aimed  at  drawing  out  his  guests,  while  he  listened; 
and,  it  must  be  said,  he  added  to  his  many  other  graces  the 
rare  accomplishment  of  being  a  good  listener,  even  where 
there  was  not  much  to  listen  to.  If  they  thwarted  his  pur- 
pose and  constrained  him  to  do  the  talking,  it  was  certain 
to  be  in  a  strain  that  would  run  out  the  hour  glass  very 
swiftly,  but  without  one  word  designed  for  self-laudation. 
All  the  more  surely  did  it  win  their  homage.  For  it  is  a 
law  written  as  well  upon  the  heart  as  upon  the  inspired 
page,  "  He  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted ; "  and 
when  we  meet  with  a  person  of  rare  powers  or  of  signal 
usefulness,  who  loses  sight  of  himself  in  his  concern  for  the 
welfare  of  others,  we  instinctively  pay  him  the  tribute  of  our 
loving  admiration.  How  could  Dr.  Hodge's  visitors  help 
carrying  away  this  feeling  with  them  ? 


BY  REV.  DR.  H.  A.  BOARD  MAN.  605 

He  was  formed  for  friendship.  His  nature  craved  it. 
He  could  not  do  without  it,  and  happily  he  was  not  put  to 
the  trial.  I  do  not  now  refer  to  that  home  which  was 
blessed  and  brightened  with  his  presence,  and  where  his 
loving  heart  found  full  scope  and  verge,  and  was  in  turn  en- 
riched by  the  reciprocal  in-flow  of  a  love  as  tender  as  his 
own.  There  was  a  circle  outside  of  this  upon  which  he 
lavished  his  warm  affection.  No  niggard  in  his  generous 
sympathies,  his  kindly  wishes  went  out  towards  all  whom 
he  knew;  and  there  were  many  who  shared  his  love.  But 
with  him.  as  with  us  all,  there  were  a  chosen  few  whose 
place  came  next  after  his  own  household.  Among  the 
names  which  were  oftenest  on  his  lips  were  those  of  Johns 
and  Mcllvaine,  Nevins  and  B.  B.  Wisner,  Dod  and  James 
Alexander,  and  Van  Rensselaer.  All  these  preceded  him 
to  the  better  country.  The  first  two  were  his  fellow-stu- 
dents at  Nassau  Hall,  and  the  first  four  were  his  companions 
in  the  Seminary.  A  brilliant  constellation  in  the  moral 
firmament — collectively,  with  the  addition  of  him  who  was 
facile  princeps  among  them,  they  represented  as  much  of 
mental  power  and  brilliant  imagination,  of  keen  dialectic 
and  exquisite  taste,  of  racy  humor  and  quick  sensibility,  of 
liberal  letters  and  commanding  eloquence,  of  Christian  ac- 
tivity and  usefulness,  and,  above  all,  in  all,  and  through  all, 
of  humble,  earnest  piety,  as  could  be  found  among  any  sim- 
ilar group  selected  from  the  entire  rolls  of  our  Seminaries 
and  Colleges. 

The  ties  which  linked  Dr.  Hodge  with  these  kindred  spirits 
were  never  severed  nor  weakened,  except  as,  one  by  one, 
they  were  sundered  by  death. 

2d.  The  principal  traits  of  his  religious  character. 

'•  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  words:  and  my 
Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make 
our  abode  with  him."  The  remarkable  phraseology  here 
employed  by  the  Saviour,  which  has  no  parallel  in  His  other 
recorded  utterances,  clothes  the  promise  with  a  significance 


6o6  HIS  RELIGIOUS  CHARACTER. 

beyond  our  grasp.  But  here,  if  anywhere,  was  one  to 
whom  it  was  given  to  enjoy  the  priceless  distinction  it  con- 
ferred. Manifest  it  was  to  all  eyes  that  the  Father  and  the 
Son  had  come  to  him,  not  as  a  wayfaring  man,  to  tarry  for 
a  night,  but  to  abide  with  him;  or,  translating  this  unusual 
language  into  familiar  phrase,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
given  to  him  in  a  very  unwonted  measure.  Rarely,  if  ever, 
did  any  one  hear  him  speak  of  his  own  religious  exercises  • 
but  this  were  as  superfluous  as  to  ask  the  harvest-moon 
where  she  gets  her  splendor.  His  daily  walk  betrayed  the 
secret ;  and  the  Oratory,  beyond  all  other  spheres,  showed 
that  the  "  hiding  of  his  power  "  lay  in  that  indwelling  of  the 
Spirit  which  made  his  life  an  habitual  communion  with 
God. 

In  these  exercises,  as  in  his  prayers — above  all,  his 
prayers  at  the  family-altar — the  Christological  type  of  his 
piety  constantly  appeared.  Not  Rutherford  himself  was 
more  absorbed  with  the  love  of  Christ.  Around  this  cen- 
tral sun,  and  so  near  to  it  as  to  be  always  aglow  with  its 
beams,  his  whole  being  revolved.  Christ  was  not  only  the 
ground  of  his  hope,  but  the  acknowledged  sovereign  of  his 
intellect,  the  soul  of  his  theology,  the  unfailing  spring  of 
his  joy,  the  one  all-pervading,  all  glorifying  theme  and  end 
of  his  life.  His  very  presence  was  felt  by  his  students  as  a 
benediction — a  means  of  grace,  carrying  with  it  a  silent  re- 
buke, an  encouragement,  a  stimulus  to  watchfulness  and 
fidelity — according  to  their  individual  needs.  A  personality 
like  this  has  a  power  all  its  own.  It  is  something  differenr 
from  talent,  learning,  eloquence,  dialectic  skill,  affable  man- 
ners, or  all  these  combined.  You  cannot  see  it.  You  can- 
not define  it.  But  you  can  and  must  feel  it.  No  one  could 
sit  down  with  Dr.  Hodge  without  feeling  it — perhaps  more 
sensibly  than  with  almost  any  one  they  will  have  known. 
And  these  young  men  felt  it,  not  only  in  "his  opening 
prayers,  which  seemed  to  constitute  his  class-room  a  Bethel, 
and  the  savor  of  which  was  as  the  incense  of  morn  to  the 


BY  REV.  DR.  H.  A.  BOARDMAN.  607 

soul,  wooing  it  upward  to  communion  with  God,"*  but 
through  the  entire  routine  of  the  daily  lecture  or  recitation, 
and,  no  less,  in  their  familiar  visits  to  his  study. 

If  one  were  called  upon  to  specify  the  most  conspicuous 
feature  of  Dr.  Hodge's  religious  character,  next  to  that 
pure  love  with  which  his  whole  nature  was  transfused,  it 
would  be  his  humility — perhaps  the  most  distinctively 
Christian  grace  in  the  whole  garniture  of  the  believer. 
Here  was  a  man  clothed  with  brilliant  intellectual  gifts, 
an  accomplished  scholar,  laden  with  generous  stores  of  the 
choicest  learning,  his  utterances  on  all  ecclesiastical  and 
dogmatic  questions  listened  to  by  a  great  church  with  a  de- 
ference accorded  to  no  other  living  teacher,  lauded  by 
eminent  theologians  in  Europe  and  America  as  "  the  theo- 
logian of  the  age,"  and  the  constant  object  of  undisguised 
and  loving  reverence  to  all  around  him,  yet  modest  and  un- 
assuming as  a  child — never  asserting  his  consequence: 
never  obtruding  his  opinions ;  never  courting  a  compliment  f 
never  saying  or  doing  anything  for  effect ;  never  challeng- 
ing attention  to  himself  in  any  way.  Of  course  he  could 
not  be  blind  to  the  homage  which  was  paid  him  from  every 
quarter;  but  his  own  estimate  of  himself  was  framed  by 
quite  another  standard.  His  vast  learning  taught  him  that 
he  had  barely  crossed  the  border  of  that  boundless  domain 
of  truth  which  stretches  off  in  every  direction  into  the  infi- 
nite ;  and  his  habitual  feeling  was  that  of  La  Place,  who, 
being  complimented,  when  near  his  end,  on  the  splendor  of 
his  attainments,  replied :  "  What  we  know  is  very  little ; 
what  we  do  not  know  is  immense."  So  in  respect  to  his 
personal  piety.  To  all  eyes  but  his  own  he  had  approached 
as  near  to  "  the  stature  of  a  perfect  man  in  Christ  Jesus  "  as 
any,  the  most  favored,  of  those  saints  whose  names  the 
church  has  embalmed.  But  so  clear  was  his  apprehension 


*  Article  in  the  British  and  Foreign  Evangelical  Review,  by  his  distinguished 
Pupil  Professor,  Robert  Watts,  D.  D.,  of  Assembly's  College,  Belfast. 


608  HIS  RELIGIOUS  CHARACTER. 

of  the  spotless  holiness  of  God,  so  transcendent  his  views 
of  the  love  of  Christ  and  the  debt  we  owe  Him,  and  so 
inwrought  his  sense  of  the  turpitude  of  sin,  that  he  could 
only  think  of  himself  as  a  poor,  miserable  sinner  saved  by 
grace  ineffable,  whose  best  services  were  utterly  unfit  to  be 
presented  to  God,  whose  purest  aspirations  were  too  impure 
to  be  accepted  save  through  the  ever-prevalent  intercession 
of  our  great  High  Priest.  Here,  indeed,  was  a  clear  inti- 
mation that  the  path  he  was  treading  lay  close  along  the 
suburbs  of  the  heavenly  city.  For  the  inevitable  effect  of  a 
near  discovery  of  the  divine  glory  must  always  be  what  it 
was  with  Isaiah  and  the  beloved  apostle — to  overwhelm  the 
soul  with  a  sense  of  its  own  vileness.  Therefore  it  was  that 
our  dear  Professor  was  ever  "  clothed  with  humility " — 
clothed — with  it:  it  covered  him  like  "a  raiment  of  needle- 
work " — covered  all  the  powers  of  his  mind,  all  the  trea- 
sures of  his  learning,  all  the  wealth  of  his  affections,  all  that 
jnade  him  great  and  good,  loving  and  beloved,  all  that 
moved  us  to  look  upon  him  as  one  given  to  the  church 
(may  it  be  allowed  me  to  say)  to  show  how  much  a  Chris- 
tian may,  even  in  this  world,  become  like  Christ.  * 

The  topics  with  which  we  have  now  been  engaged,  have 
brought  into  view  the  gentler  side  of  Dr.  Hodge's  charac- 
ter. There  are  those  who  will  regard  the  qualities  indica- 
ted, as  revealing  a  certain  sort  of  weakness — pardonable  in- 
deed, but  still  a  weakness ;  and  an  impeachment,  so  far,  of 
the  title  asserted  for  him  by  his  friends  to  have  his  place  as- 
signed him  among  the  really  "  great"  men  of  this  age.  It 

*  May  I  illustrate  this  point  by  an  incident  not  related  at  the  delivery  of  the 
discourse. 

I  was  saying,  "  You  ought  to  be  a  very  happy  man.  Consider  what  you  have 
accomplished,  and  the  universal  feeling  towards  you — "  l(  Now,  stop!"  said 
he,  with  a  wave  of  the  hand.  "  All  that  can  be  said  is,  that  God  has  been 
pleased  to  take  up  a  poor  little  stick  and  do  something  with  it.  What  I  have 
done  is  as  nothing  compared  with  what  is  done  by  a  man  who  goes  to  Africa,  and 
labors  among  a  heathen  tribe,  and  reduces  their  language  to  writing.  I  am  not 
worthy  to  stoop  down  and  unloose  the  shoes  of  such  a  man.'* 


BY  REV.  DR.  H.  A.  BOARDMAN.  609 

is  simply  a  question  as  to  what  constitutes  true  greatness. 
In  the  common  judgment  of  the  learned  world,  this  distinc- 
tion belongs  by  pre-eminence  to  pure  intellect  in  its  loftiest 
manifestations,  as,  e.  g.,  in  the  case  of  Thomas  Aquinas  or 
Kant.  Others  would  enthrone  in  their  Pantheon  the  men 
who  combine  with  rare  intellectual  gifts,  rich  stores  of 
knowledge,  a  wide  range  of  literary  accomplishment,  and  a 
voice  or  pen  that  can  instruct  and  fascinate  whole  nations 
— like  Cicero  or  Goethe.  Others  still,  taught  in  a  better 
school,  would  have  an  intellectual  Colossus,  not  only  de- 
corated with  the  triumphs  and  trophies  of  genius,  but  ani- 
mated by  a  spirit  of  genuine  piety — devout  and  conscientious 
— "  walking  uprightly,  working  righteousness,  and  speak- 
ing the  truth,"  meeting  all  the  claims  of  justice  and  equity, 
and  really  kind  at  heart,  albeit  stern,  phlegmatic,  unsympa- 
thizing.  No  one  would  refuse  to  accord  the  epithet  "  great  " 
to  the  choice  spirits  who  make  up  any  one  of  these  classes  ; 
but  do  they,  singly  or  united,  supply  all  the  attributes  es- 
sential to  constitute  the  highest  type  of  greatness?  Can  it 
be  necessary  to  answer  this  question,  with  the  New  Testa- 
ment open  before  us  ?  This  world  has  seen,  since  the  fall, 
but  one  perfect  man.  If  you  deify  intellectual  force,  vast 
erudition,  philosophic  penetration,  here  is  ONE  upon  all 
whose  faculties  is  the  stamp  of  infinitude ;  whose  mind  holds 
in  its  grasp  all  time  and  all  space ;  who  guides  alike  the 
stars  in  their  orbits,  and  the  pollen  that  floats  through  the 
summer  air ;  and  in  comparison  with  whom  the  magnates 
of  your  eulogy  are  but  nursery-striplings.  Yet  where  will 
you  find  such  meekness,  such  humility,  such  affectioiiate- 
ness?  What  language  have  you  to  describe  His  ineffable 
tenderness,  His  gentle  bearing  towards  the  erring,  His 
ready  sympathy  with  every  form  of  sorrow  and  suffering, 
His  overflowing  love  towards  friends  and  foes,  His  delight 
in  little  children — in  a  word,  that  whole  life  which  was  in 
truth  a  child-life  ?  No  one,  standing  in  the  presence  of 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  will  have  the  presumption  to  deny  that 

39 


6 1 0  HIS  RELIC  2O  US  CHAR  A  CTER. 

we  have  here  the  very  highest  style  of  humanity ;  and  that 
these  milder  graces  are  just  as  indispensable  to  its  complete- 
ness, as  that  array  of  grand  intellectual  endowments  to 
which  the  world  pays  willing  homage. 

Now  why  do  I  introduce  our  blessed  Saviour  upon  this 
scene  ?  Is  it  that  we  may  challenge  for  our  friend  whom 
we  to-day  commemorate,  the  first  place  among  the  great 
men  of  our  race?  Is  it  that  we  may  exalt  him  above  this 
or  that  illustrious  philosopher  or  theologian  in  or  out  of  the 
church  ?  Far  from  it.  It  is  simply  to  show  that  his  true 
position  is  among  the  very  foremost  of  a  class  never  large, 
and  augmented  by  only  a  few  names  in  the  course  of  a 
century,  who  illustrate  the  supreme  type  of  greatness — a 
type  which  demands  the  union  of  the  rarest  mental  power, 
with  self-abnegation,  patience,  kindliness,  and  a  feminine 
tenderness  of  disposition.  The  combination  of  strength 
and  gentleness  in  his  character  was  not  merely  conspicuous ; 
it  was  transcendent :  as  among  the  men  whom  we  may,  any 
of  us,  have  known,  it  was  unequalled — unapproached.  It 
was  the  admiration  of  all  who  met  him.  It  was  the  charm 
that  captivated  his  friends.  It  was  the  secret  of  that  mag- 
netic power  which  he  exerted  over  so  many  hearts.  It  was 
at  once  the  fruit  and  the  evidence  of  his  close  assimilation 
to  that  loving  Saviour  in  whose  love  he  rejoiced  with  a  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.  The  mind  struggles  in  vain  to 
conceive  what  must  be  the  rapture  of  such  a  soul  on  being  re- 
ceived into  a  world  whose  very  atmosphere  is  love — into  the 
immediate  presence  of  that  adored  Redeemer,  whose  nature 
is  thofsame  as  when  He  wept  with  the  sisters  of  Bethany,  at 
the  very  moment  He  was  about  to  command  the  grave  to 
give  back  its  dead. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  true  criterion  of  Dr.  Hodge's 
greatness.  It  is  not  questioned  that  there  have  been  men 
of  still  loftier  intellectual  culture,  nor  that  there  are  names 
still  more  suggestive  of  universal  knowledge.  But  no  ex- 
ample is  recalled  in  which  an  imperial  intellect,  mature 


GENERAL  ESTIMATE  OF  DR.  HODG&S  THEOLOGY.  6 1  I 

scholarship,  a  creative  imagination,  acute  sensibility,  taste, 
affectionateness,  sterling  humor,  a  soldier's  courage  and  a 
woman's  gentleness,  the  freshness  of  youthful  feeling  un- 
impaired at  fourscore,  and  all  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  were 
more  exquisitely  blended.  In  the  perfect  harmony  of  his 
mental  and  moral  powers,  the  purity  and  benevolence  of  his 
life,  the  wisdom  and  felicity  of  his  doctrine,  and  the  charm 
of  his  conversation,  we  recognize  the  completeness  of  a 
character,  the  like  of  which  we  do  not  expect  to  see  this 
side  of  heaven.  From  our  heart  of  hearts  we  render  thanks 
to  that  God  who  made  him  what  he  was,  and  blessed  the 
church  with  his  presence  for  eighty  years. 

IV.  GENERAL  ESTIMATE  OF  DR.  HODGE'S  SYSTEMATIC 
THEOLOGY.  BY  CHARLES  P.  KRAUTH,  D.D.,  PROFES- 
SOR OF  THEOLOGY  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  THEOLOGICAL 
SEMINARY,  PHILADELPHIA. 

THE  work  opens  with  an  Introduction,  which  treats  of 
Method;  Theology;  Rationalism;  Mysticism;  the  Rule  of 
Faith  in  the  Roman  Catholic  and  Protestant  view. 

The  First  Part  embraces  Theology  proper ;  under  which 
are  treated  :  Origin  of  the  idea  of  God ;  Theism ;  Antithe- 
istic  Theories;  Knowledge  of  God;  His  Nature  and  Attri- 
butes; the  Trinity;  Divinity  of  Christ;  the  Holy  Spirit;  the 
Decree  of  God;  Creation;  Providence;  Miracles;  Angels. 

The  Second  Part  is  occupied  with  Anthropology ;  Man, 
his  Origin  and  Nature ;  Origin  of  the  Soul ;  Unity  of  the 
Human  Race;  Original  State  of  Man;  Covenant  of  Works; 
the  Fall ;  Sin ;  Free  Agency. 

The  Third  Part  presents  Soteriology  :  the  Plan  of  Salva- 
tion; Covenant  of  Grace;  the  Person  of  Christ;  His  Media- 
torial Work  ;  Prophetic  and  Priestly  Offices ;  Satisfaction ; 
for  Whom  did  Christ  Die  ?  Theories  of  the  Atonement ; 
Christ's  Intercession;  Kingly  Office;  Humiliation;  Exalta- 
tion ;  Vocation ;  Regeneration  ;  Faith ;  Justification ;  Sancti- 
fication ;  the  Law,  with  a  Particular  Commentary  on  each 


6 1  2   GENERAL  ESTIMATE  OF  DR.  HODGE'S  THEOLOGY, 

Commandment;  the  Means  of  Grace;  the  Word  of  God; 
the  Sacraments ;  Baptism ;  the  Lord's  Supper ;  Prayer. 

The  Fourth  Part  is  Eschatology :  the  State  of  the  Soul 
after  Death ;  Resurrection ;  Second  Advent ;  Concomitants 
of  the  Second  Advent 

Of  the  general  fullnesss  and  logical  order  of  this  arrange- 
ment there  can  be  no  question.  The  discussion  of  the 
Divinity  of  Christ  as  distinct  from  the  Trinity  might  per- 
haps better  have  been  given  under  Soteriology,  so  as  not  to 
separate  the  "  Divinity  of  Christ "  from  the  "  Person  of 
Christ."  The  most  important  defect  in  the  plan  is  that  it 
does  not  embrace  a  distinct  and  full  treatment  of  the  doc- 
trine concerning  the  Church.  The  omission  has  been 
made  for  some  reason  which  satisfies  Dr.  Hodge.  We  hope 
that  it  means  that  he  proposes  to  give  to  the  Church  a 
monograph  on  this  subject,  one  of  the  most  vitally  impor- 
tant and  interesting  doctrines  of  all  times,  but  especially 
in  our  own  day.  We  know  of  no  man  more  competent 
than  Dr.  Hodge  to  rebuke,  with  the  effectual  weapons  of 
fact  and  logic,  the  insane  pretences  of  the  rampant  pseudo- 
ecclesiasticism  of  our  time,  and  the  yet  insaner  radicalism, 
which  frightens  many  into  the  ecclesiasticism. 

The  first  thing  which  strikes  us  in  reading  Dr.  Hodge's 
book  is  the  style.  Whether  we  shall  accept  or  reject  what 
he  maintains  may  sometimes  involve  a  question,  or  a  pause; 
but  his  simple,  luminous  mode  of  statement  rarely  leaves 
us  in  any  embarrassment  as  to  what  it  is  on  which  we  are  to 
decide.  The  sentences  are  never  involved.  The  language  is  a 
model  of  clearness.  There  is  a  plain  solid  sense,  the  result 
of  a  sound  judgment  thoroughly  matured,  which  is  delight- 
ful beyond  expression  in  this  day  and  land  of  fine  writing. 
This,  of  course,  will  expose  Dr.  Hodge  to  the  charge  of 
shallowness,  from  those  who  think  that  nothing  is  deep 
but  what  is  unintelligible,  and  that  the  art .  of  good  writing 
is  the  art  of  putting  words  to  things  in  the  proportion  of 
Falstaft's  sack  to  FalstafFs  bread,  and  that  the  measure  of 
words  is  like  the.  measure  of  Falstaff  in  the  girth. 


BY  PROF.  C.  P.  KRAUTH,  D.D.  613 

Another  great  feature  of  Dr.  Hodge's  book  is,  its  value 
to  our  common  Christianity — nay,  in  a  wide  sense,  to  reli- 
gion on  that  broader  definition  in  which  the  believing  Jew 
has  a  common  interest  with  the  Christian.  To  the  gratitude 
of  Jew  and  Christian,  Dr.  Hodge  is  entitled  by  the  able 
vindication  of  Revelation  against  the  assaults  which  would 
bring  the  faith  of  Jew  and  Christian  alike  to  the  dust.  To 
Roman  Catholic  and  Protestant,  Dr.  Hodge  comes  with  a 
defense  of  the  common  creeds  of  Christendom;  to  Calvinist 
and  Lutheran,  with  the  able  argument  on  the  distinctive 
elements  of  Protestantism  and  the  precious  truths  reasserted 
by  the  original  Churches  of  the  Reformation.  Even  in  its 
relative  isolation  as  distinctively  Calvinistic,  Dr.  Hodge's 
book  is  invaluable.  It  is  the  gauge  of  the  type  of  Calvinism 
which  is  considered  by  its  ablest  living  representatives  as 
tenable ;  a  Calvinism  so  gentle  in  its  spirit  toward  other 
forms  of  evangelical  Christianity,  and  so  full  of  the  disposi- 
tion to  mitigate  its  own  harder  points,  as  to  furnish  irenical 
elements  of  the  most  hopeful  kind. 

The  general  mildness,  fairness,  and  clearness  of  the  book 
are  far  beyond  dispute.  It  treats  Polemics  in  the  spirit  of 
Irenics,  for  the  most  part,  but  with  here  and  there  a  delight- 
ful little  dash  of  merited  sarcasm,  a  suspicion  of  irony,  a 
playful  contempt  for  small  presumption,  and  a  quiet  smile  at 
the  absurd,  which  humanize  the  argument,  and,  with  those 
touches  which  make  the  whole  world  kin,  bring  the  author 
nearer  to  the  reader.  Nor  are  there  wanting  earnest  and 
eloquent  passages,  which  deal  with  sin  in  a  manner  in  keep- 
ing with  its  exceeding  sinfulness,  and  with  conscious  per- 
versions after  their  evil  deserts.  There  is  no  amiable  inanity 
in  the  book.  It  is  not  done  in  water-colors,  as  some  people 
would  think  it  must  be,  because  it  is  not  executed  with  a 
red-hot  poker  on  an  oak-board.  Yet  its  prevailing  character 
is  mild,  quiet,  firm,  judicial.  If  it  is  often  pleading,  it  is  still 
more  frequently  the  decision  of  a  judge,  who  sums  up  evi- 
dence, interprets  the  law,  and  pronounces  the  sentence. 


614  GENERAL  ESTIMATE  OF  DR.  HODGE'S  THEOLOGY, 

The  evidences  of  enormous,  yet  reflective  reading,  every- 
where present  themselves,  reading  of  the  most  varied  kind, 
among  the  best  books  and  the  worst  books.  There  is  a 
gathering  of  honey  for  stores,  and  of  poisons  for  the  study 
of  antidotes.  The  range  stretches  over  the  ages,  takes  in 
largely  the  German  theology,  and  reaches  apparently  almost 
to  the  days  in  which  the  volumes  have  come  from  the  press. 
The  result  of  this  anxiety  to  bring  things  down  to  the  hour 
has  necessarily  been  that  some  of  the  latest  reading  has 
been  hasty  and  has  involved  Dr.  Hodge  in  mistakes.  But 
the  Doctor's  greatest  weakness,  in  this  immensity  of  reading, 
is  where  it  might  least  have  been  suspected — it  is  in  Calvin- 
istic  theology.  He  seems  to  have  neglected  a  part  of  the 
Calvinistic  theologians  of  no  inconsiderable  number  and 
bulk.  On  his  own  confession,  so  far  as  his  memory  can  re- 
call, he  has  failed  to  have  seen  a  single  one  of  a  very  large 
and  influential  portion  of  those  divines,  so  large  in  fact  that 
for  some  two  centuries  it  is  hard  to  find  one  who  does  not 
belong  to  it.  But  we  account  for  this  on  the  principles  of  a 
latent  elective  affinity.  Like  seeks  only  its  like  and  holds 
it.  There  rise  up  in  history  the  grim  and  grisly  features  of 
those  old  divines  who  liked  election  but  who  loved  reproba- 
tion ;  who  conceived  of  the  human  race  as  created  chiefly 
as  fuel  for  Tophet, — divines  who  would  have  thought  no- 
thing of  the  perdition  of  a  universe  or  two,  and,  if  necessary, 
of  throwing  themselves  in,  if  their  logic  proved  that  it  was 
all  for  God's  greater  glory — those  inexorable  Jonahs  on 
whom  a  wilderness  of  gourds  would  have  been  lost  in  the 
attempt  to  reconcile  them  to  the  sparing  of  Nineveh.  If 
Dr.  Hodge  long  ago  encountered  these  divines,  he  quietly 
turned  away  into  his  own  brighter  -path,  with  other  visions 
of  the  divine  glory.  He  did  not  plunge  into  the  Sahara,  in 
the  possibility  of  finding  an  oasis.  Penetrated,  as  all  his 
works  show,  with  the  completest  recognition  which  is  pos- 
sible to  Calvinism,  that  God  is  love,  Calvinism  itself  is 
hardly  in  sharper  contrast  with  Lutheranism  than,  within 


BY  PROF.  C.  P.  KRAUTH,  D.D.  615 

Calvinism,  Dr.  Hodge  himself  is  with  Gomarus  and  his 
pitiless  school.  The  only  apology  which  can  be  made  for 
that  school  is  that  which  they  constantly  make  for  them- 
selves— that  the  logic  of  the  system  is  with  them,  and  that 
they  are  with  the  logic  of  the  system.  They  did  not  create 
the  horrors,  they  only  told  of  them. 

The  general  tone  of  the  book  is  profoundly  devout. 
Though  Dr.  Hodge  has  moved  largely  and  freely  in  the 
living  world,  his  most  marked  affinities  are  yet  with  the  old. 
He  saith  "the  old  is  better."  He  has  not  put  enough  of 
the  new  wine  into  the  old  bottles  to  rend  them — except 
perhaps  in  a  spot  or  two.  In  spite  of  recent  reading,  and 
of  the  space  devoted  to  the  callow  heresies  of  the  hour,  the 
conception  and  organism  of  the  book  is  prevailingly  scho- 
lastic, of  the  old  Protestant  type.  It  is  old-fashioned  theol- 
ogy in  the  main ;  and,  like  the  best  old-fashioned  theology, 
it  has  the  heart  of  living  piety  beating  through  it.  It  is  not 
satisfied  with  teaching  about  theology :  it  teaches  theology, 
it  is  theology — a  true  "  theologia  regenitorum"  Its  solid  judg- 
ment and  learning  will  mark  it  to  scholars  as  one  of  the 
classics  of  Calvinistic  Dogmatics,  the  ablest  work  in  its 
specific  department  in  English  literature.  But  it  is  more 
than  this,  better  than  this.  The  graces  of  Christian  life  are 
not  repressed  in  it,  as  they  have  often  been  in  the  arid 
formulating  of  systems.  Moliere's  Mock  Doctor  claimed 
no  more  than  that  the  medical  profession  had  changed  the 
place  of  the  heart  from  the  left  side  to  the  right ;  some  of 
the  doctors  in  theology  have  left  the  heart  out  altogether. 
But  in  Dr.  Hodge's  Body  of  Divinity  there  is  a  heart 
whose  beat  is  that  of  the  fullest  health — and  you  can  touch 
the  system  nowhere  without  feeling  a  pulse.  It  is  a  book 
for  the  affections.  No  man  could  obtrude  himself  less  in 
his  books  than  Dr.  Hodge  does;  yet  all  the  more  for  this 
very  reason  do  we  see  the  man  himself  in  his  books. 
His  life  has  been  shaped  upon  the  advice  of  old  Sir  John 
Davies : 


6l6  GENERAL  ESTIMATE  OF  DR.  HODGE'S  THEOLOGY. 

"  Study  the  best  and  highest  things  that  are , 
But  of  thyself,  an  humble  thought  retain." 

Dr.  Hodge's  system  furnishes  a  general  landmark  for 
Christian  thinking  in  one  of  its  most  influential  shapes ;  it 
also  furnishes  a  revelation  of  the  spirit  of  Christian  science, 
a  picture  of  the  Christian  scholar,  a  miniature  of  the  Chris- 
tian life.  Dr.  Hodge  constitutes  in  himself  a  distinct  evi- 
dence of  Christianity,  and  alike  in  what  he  writes  and  what 
he  is,  vindicates  the  supremacy  of  Protestant  culture. 

It  is  a  marked  feature  in  Dr.  Hodge's  book  that  it  does 
unusual  justice  to  the  relative  importance  of  Lutheran 
theology.  There  are  but  two  developed  systems  in  the 
world  that  claim  with  any  show  of  probability  to  be  purely 
Biblical.  These  systems  are  the  Lutheran  and  the  Calvinistic. 
They  possess  a  common  basis  in  their  recognition  of  the 
same  rule  of  faith ;  their  profession  of  the  Old  Catholic  faith 
as  set  forth  in  the  three  General  Creeds ;  in  their  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  and  of  its 
great  associated  doctrines ;  and  they  have  vast  interests, 
great  stakes,  mighty  bonds  of  sympathy  in  common.  No 
two  bodies  of  Christians  have  more  reason  for  thoroughly 
understanding  each  other  than  Calvinists  and  Lutherans 
have,  and  no  two  parts  of  Christendom  are  closer  together 
in  some  vital  respects  than  consistent  Calvinism  and  con- 
sistent Lutheranism.  It  is  well  worth  their  while  to  com- 
pare views. 

But  Dr.  Hodge  is  not  only  full  in  his  notices  of  Lutheran 
theology — he  is  also  fair.  Mistakes  he  has  made,  and  very 
important  ones;  but  designed  misrepresentations  he  has 
never  made.  Next  to  having  Dr.  Hodge  on  one's  side  is  the 
pleasure  of  having  him  as  an  antagonist;  for  where  conscien- 
tious men  must  discuss  a  subject,  who  can  express  the  com- 
fort of  honorable,  magnanimous  dealing  on  both  sides — the 
feeling  that  in  battling  with  each  other  they  are  also  battling 
for  each  other,  in  that  grand  warfare  whose  final  issue  will 
be  what  all  good  men  desire,  the  establishment  o/  truth  ? 


INDEX. 


A  CT  and  Testimony,  292-295,  311- 

A   314. 

Alexander,  Dr.  Archibald,  18,  19,  26, 
27,  28,  47-51,  65,  378-383,  454- 
457,  519-523.  551-557-  His  Letters 
to  Dr.  Hodge,  70,  71,  160-162, 
235,  273,  274,  275,  281,  282,  327. 

Alexander,  Dr.  Joseph  Addison,  238, 
435-438,  557-562. 

Alexander,  Dr.  James  W.,  435-438, 
562. 

American  Education  Society,  261-264. 

American  Bible  Society,  404-406. 

Ancestry,  i-io. 

Articles  in  "  Biblical  Repertory  and 
Princeton  Review,"  260-271,  332- 
343,  400-424,  575,  576. 

Aunt  Hannah,  2,  3. 

T)ACHE,  Sarah,  28,  29,  58-60. 
*   Banks,  Rev.  Joseph,  D.  D.,  68. 

Barnes  on  Romans,  Review  of,  270. 

Bayard,  John  R.  and  James  A.,  5,  6. 

"  Biblical  Repertory  and  Princeton  Re- 
view," 98-100.  Its  History,  Char- 
acter and  Influence,  247-260.  Dr. 
Hodge's  Qualifications  and  Suc- 
cess as  Editor  and  Reviewer  and 
leading  contributor,  250-260.  His 
Articles  and  Reviews  (from  1828  to 
1840),  260-271,  (from  1840  to 
1851),  332  to  343,  (from  1851  to 
i86ij,  400-424. 

Biggs,  Dr.  Thomas  J.,  Letter  from, 
351,  352. 

Blanchard,  Mary,  7,  8,  9,  10,  31-33. 

PHILDREN,  96,  97,  9s,  225,  367, 
^  368. 


Church  Boards,  their  Constitutionality, 

401-403. 
Church,  Bishop  Mcllvaine  on  the,  413- 

418. 
Church   and   Eldership,  Lectures  and 

Articles  on,  418-424. 
Church  and  Political  Questions,  491- 

498. 

Civil  War,  460-481. 
College  Life,  20-38. 
Commissions,  404. 
Conference   Sabbath   Afternoons,  453- 

459- 

Cunningham,  Principal  William,  352- 
364,  424-431.  His  Letters  to  Dr 
Hodge,  355-358,  360,  362,  425-427 

FjEATH  of  his  Wife,  369-375.  Of  his 
Mother,  229  ;  and  of  his  Brother, 
535,  536.  His  own,  580-583. 

Dod,  Prof.  Albert  B.,  364-367. 

Disruption  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
285-315- 

"ECCLESIASTICAL  Boards  and  Vol- 

untary  Societies,  264-267. 
Evangelical  Alliance  of  1873,  547-55°. 

pESENIUS,  115,  116,  160. 

Green,  Dr.  Ashbel,  7,  8,  13,  23,  26, 
290, 295. 

TJENGSTENBERG,   149,    154,    166, 

174,  175,  179. 
Historical  Sermon  at  the  reopening  of 

the   Seminary  Chapel,   (Sept.   27, 

1874),  551-564. 
Hodge,  Dr.  Charles,  Graduated  from 

College,  38,  and  from   the  Theo- 

617 


6i8 


INDEX. 


logical  Seminary,  66,  67.  Visit 
to  Virginia,  44-46.  Studied  with 
Reverend  Joseph  Banks,  D.  D., 

68.  Appointed    Teacher  in  the 
Seminary,  68.  Licensed  to  Preach, 

69.  Journal  of  Preaching  as  Li- 
centiate, 72,  74.     Visit  to  Boston, 
77-81.   Stated  Supply  at  Lambert- 
ville,   84 ;  and  at    Ewing,   84-87. 
Ordination,    85,    86.     Election  as 
Professor,  92-94.     Inaugural  Ad- 
dress, 94.    Marriage,  94-96.    Birth 
of  Children.  96,  97.     Founds  the 
"  Biblical  Repertory,"  or  "  Prince- 
ton Review,'1  98-100.     Resolution 
to  go  to  Europe,    100-103.     De- 
parture,   103.      Life    in    Europe, 
104-201.     Life  in  Paris,  109-114. 
Life   in   Halle,    115-147.     Life  in 
Berlin,  148-188.  Switzerland,  197- 
199.      Return   to   Princeton,   201. 
Introductory   Lecture,    203,   204. 
Work  as  Teacher,  204,  205.  Work 
as  Preacher,  205,  206.     Children, 
Family  Relations  and  Recreations, 
225,  228.     Death  of  his   Mother, 
229.     Politics,  230-234,  245,  344- 
347,  393-396.  460-489-    Lameness, 
234-244.     Remarkable  Gatherings 
in  his  Study,  239-240.     "  Biblical 
Repertory  and  Princeton  Review," 
its  history,  character  and  influence, 
247-260.     Dr.    Hodge's   qualifica- 
tions and  success  as  an  editor  and 
reviewer ;  his  associate  editors  and 
principal    contributors,   250,    260. 
Articles  (from  1828  to  1840),  260- 
271.      Doctor    of    Divinity,    260. 
Commentary  on  Romans,  271-279. 
Constitutional  History  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  279-284.   His  re 
lation  to  the  "  Act  and  Testimony," 
311-314.      Change    of    Professor- 
ship, 321.     Method  of  Teaching, 
323-324.      The   "  Way   of   Life," 
324-331.        His    articles     in     the 
"  Princeton  Review"  (from  1840  to 
1851),  332-343-     Slavery,  333-336. 


Beman  on  the  Atonement,  etc., 
337.  Sustentation,  338,  339.  Rom- 
ish Baptism,  339-343.  Moderator 
of  the  General  Assembly,  343. 
Friendship  and  Correspondence 
with  Dr.  William  Cunningham, 
352-364.  Death  of  Professor  Al- 
bert B.  Dod,  362-367.  Marriage 
and  departure  of  his  oldest  chil- 
dren, 367-368.  Death  of  his  Wife, 
369-375.  Disturbed  health,  375- 
377.  Death  of  his  senior  col- 
leagues, 378-383.  Member  of  the 
Boards  of  the  Church,  384,  385. 
Trustee  of  Princeton  College,  385, 
387.  Method  of  Teaching,  387- 
391.  Second  Marriage,  391,  392. 
Letters  on  Dancing  and  Card-play- 
ing, and  the  Baptism  of  the  Infants 
of  Non-professors,  396-399.  Com- 
mentaries on  Ephesians  and  i  and 
2  Corinthians,  400.  Articles  in 
the  "Princeton  Review"  (from 
1851  to  1861),  400-424.  The  Con- 
stitutionality of  Church  Boards, 
401-403.  Commissions,  404.  The 
American  Bible  Society,  404-406. 
Subscription  to  the  Confession  of 
Faith,  406-408.  Religious  Educa- 
tion and  the  Relation  of  the  State 
to  Religion,  408-411.  "  Free  Agen- 
cy," "  Inspiration,"  etc.,  411.  Pres- 
byterian Liturgies,  411.  Bishop 
Mcllvaine  on  tbe  Church,  413- 
418.  Lectures  and  Articles  on  the 
Church  and  Eldership,  418-424. 
Deaths  of  Drs.  James  W.  and 
Joseph  A.  Alexander,  435-438. 
Choice  of  a  new  Professor,  439- 
446.  Great  Debate  before  the 
Assembly  of  1860  on  the  Boards  of 
the  Church,  446-448.  Appearance, 
health,occupations  and  recreations, 
after  he  had  passed  his  64th  year, 
449,  450.  His  Systematic  Theolo- 
gy, 451-453.  Sabbath  Afternoon 
Conferences,  453-459.  The  Civil 
War,  460-481.  Reconstruction, 


INDEX. 


619 


482-487.  Seventieth  Birthday,  486, 
487.  The  Church  and  Political 
Questions,  491-498.  Case  of  the 
Rev.  Samuel  B.  McPheeters,  D.  D., 
498-501.  Reunion,  501-508.  Na- 
tional Presbyterian  Convention, 
Philadelphia,  Nov.,  1867,  504-508. 
His  Semi-centennial,  509-530.  His 
Last  Years,  531-577.  Object  of 
Universal  Love,  531-535.  Death 
of  his  Brother,  535,  536.  Visit  to 
him  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
1873  in  Washington,  545,  546.  The 
Evangelical  Alliance,  Oct.,  1873, 
547-550.  Historical  Sermon,  551- 
564.  Appointment  of  his  Assistant 
and  Successor,  569-574.  His 
Eightieth  Birth  day,  574-575.  His 
Last  Articles  and  Books,  575,  576. 
His  Last  Writings,  576,  577.  His 
Last  Days,  578-587.  Obituary 
Notices,  585-587.  Estimate  as  a 
Teacher  of  Exegesis,  588-591,  and 
as  a  Teacher  of  Theology  and  as  a 
Preacher,  591-602,  and  of  his 
Social  and  Religious  Character, 
602-611. 

Hodge,  Dr.  Charles,  Letters  of,  to  his 
Mother,  40-46,  53-58,  61-66,  75 
81,  83,  86,  87-90,  97,  98,  104,  115, 
116,  199. 

To  his  Brother,  33,  34,  81-83, 
86,  87,  100,  101,  229-234,  240- 
247,  279,  305-308,  316.  317,  322, 
343-351,  373-378,  382,  383,  393- 
396,  441,  445,  446,  471-481,  484- 
488. 

To  his  Wife  109-1 1 2, 115,  117,  197- 
199-200. 

To  Dr.  A.  Alexander,  69,  70,  90, 
91,  105-109,  113,  114,  274-277. 
To  Dr.  Tholuck,  207,    208,    210- 
213,  216-219. 

To  Bishop  Johns,  392,  393,  431- 
433.  536.  537,  565~567,  57Q,  57 1, 
574.  575- 

To  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  414,  417, 
418. 


To  Dr.  John  C.  Backus,  439-441, 
464,  465. 

To  Dr.  Henry  A.  Boardman,  282, 
283,  317-320,  422-424,  464-466, 

570-575- 

To  Principal  Wm.  Cunningham, 
354,  355,  358,  360,  362-364,  430, 
43i. 

To  Dr.  Robert  Watts,  488-490. 
Hodge,  Hugh  Lenox,  M.  D.,  Life  and 
Character  of,  537-544. 

JOHNS,  John,  Bishop  of  Virginia,  23, 

J    64,  564-569. 

His  Letters  to  Dr.  Hodge,  60,  61,  64, 

65,  327,  328,  37i,  372,  43i,  433» 

434.  568. 

MCILVAINE,  Charles  P.,  Bishop  of 

-*•   Ohio,   32,  35,  36,   505-507.     His 

Letters   to   Dr.  Hodge,  415,  416, 

527- 
McPheeters  Samuel  B.,  D.  D.,  Case  of, 

498-501. 

Miller,  Samuel,  D.  D.,  51,  374-381,  454, 
519-523,  551-557.  His  Letters  to 
Dr.  Hodge,  159,  160. 

ATEANDER,   142,  153,  164-166,  181- 


1\ 


184,187,  188. 


DRINCETON  Party,  290-310. 
Presbyterian  Liturgies,  411. 

T)  ECONSTRUCTION,  482-487. 

•*•*•   Regeneration,  267,  268. 

Religion,  Profession  of,  30-34. 

Religious  Training  and  Experience,  13, 
14. 

Religious  Education  and  THE  RELA- 
TION OF  THE  STATE  TO  RELI- 
GION, 408-411. 

Reunion  of  Presbyterians,  501-508. 

Romish  Baptism,  339-343,  428,  429. 

CCHOOLS,  ii,  12,  14,  15-18. 
^   Semi-Centennial,  509-530. 
Seminary  Life,  as  Student,  46-67  ;   as 
Teacher,  65,  66. 


620 


INDEX. 


Slavery,  333-336. 

Stuart,  Dr.  Moses,  on  Romans,  Review 

of,  269,  270. 
Subscription  of  the  Confession  of  Faith, 

406-408. 

Sustentation,  338,  339. 
"  Systematic  Theology,"  451,  453. 

yHOLUCK,  Dr.  Augustus,  115-124, 
133-142, 158, 159, 162, 164, 165, 166, 
His  Letters  to  Dr.  Hodge,  146, 
188-190,  208-210,  216. 

yiRGINIA,  visit  to,  in  1816,  44,  46. 


Von  Focke,  Otto,  Letter  from,  to  Dr. 

Hodge,  214-216. 
Von  Gerlach,   Ludwig,   148,  149,  166- 

l69,  *75.  182.     His  Letters  to  Dr. 

Hodge,   213,   214,  219,  220,  329, 

330. 
Von  Gerlach,  Otto,  148,  149,  166,  173- 

176, 182.  His  Letters  to  Dr.  Hodge, 

220-225,  230-231. 

"WAY  of  Life,"  324-331. 

Witness  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  488 
-490. 


14  Tnis  work  everywhere  exhibits  the  evidence  of  profound  thought,  acute  analysis, 
and  wide  learning."  N.  Y.  TRIBUNE. 


By  CHARLES   HODGE,  D.D.,  LL.D., 

LATE  OF  PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


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IN  these  volumes  are  comprised  the  results  of  the  life-long  labors  and  investigations  of  one  of  th« 
nost  eminent  theologians  of  the  age.  The  work  covers  the  ground  usually  occupied  by  treatises  on 
Systematic  Theology,  and  adopts  the  commonly  received  divisions  of  the  subject, — THEOLOGY, 
Vol.  I.  ;  ANTHROPOLOGY,  Vol.  II. ;  SOTERIOLOGY  AND  ESCHATOLOGY,  Vol.  III. 

The  INTRODUCTION  is  devoted  to  the  consideration  of  preliminary  matters,  such  as  Method,  01 
the  principles  which  should  guide  the  student  of  Theology,  and  the  different  theories  as  to  the  source 
and  standard  of  our  knowledge  of  divine  things,  Rationalism,  Mysticism,  the  Roman  Catholic  doctrinr 
of  the  Rule  of  Faith,  and  the  Protestant  doctrine  on  that  subject. 

The  Apartment  of  THEOLOGY  proper  includes  the  origin  of  the  Idea  of  God,  the  Being  of  God, 
the  Anti-Theistic  systems  of  Atheism,  Polytheism,  Materialism,  and  Pantheism  ;  the  Nature  of  ( rou, 
the  Divine  Attributes,  the  Doctrines  of  the  Trinity,  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  and  of  tte  Holy  Spirit  • 
the  Decrees  of  God,  Creation,  Providence,  and  Miracles. 

The  department  of  ANTHROPOLOGY  includes  the  Nature,  Origin,  and  Antiquity  of  Man,  hw 
Primitive  State  and  Probation  ;  the  Fall ;  the  Effect  of  Adam's  sin  upon  himself  and  upon  his  Posterity 
the  Nature  of  Sin ;  the  Different  Philosophical  and  Theological  Theories  on  that  subject. 

SOTERIOLOGY  includes  the  Plan  or  Purpose  of  God  in  reference  to  the  Salvation  of  Man;  the 
Person  and  Work  of  the  Redeemer  ;  his  Offices  as  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King ;  the  Work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  applying  the  redemption  purchased  by  Christ ;  Common  and  Efficacious  Grace,  Regeneration^ 
Faith,  Justification,  Sanctification,  the  Law  or  Rule  of  Life,  and  the  means  of  Grace. 

ESCHATOLOGY  includes  the  S'cate  of  the  Soul  after  Death ;  the  Second  Coming  of  Christ ;  the 
Resurrection  of  the  Body ;  the  General  Judgment  and  End  of  the  World,  and  the  doctrine  concwmrp 
Heaven  and  Hell. 

The  plan  of  the  author  is  to  state  and  vindicate  the  teachings  of  the  Bible  on  these  various  subjects, 
find  to  examine  the  antagonistic  doctrines  of  different  classes  of  Theologians.  His  book,  therefore,  is 
Intended  to  be  both  didactic  and  elenchtic. 

The  various  topics  are  discussed  with  that  close  and  keen  analytical  and  logical  power,  combiner1 
with  that  simplicity,  lucidity,  and  strengtn  of  style  which  have  already  given  Dr.  HODGE  a  world 
wide  reputation  as  a  controversialist  and  writer,  and  as  an  investigator  of  the  great  theological  prcblem* 
of  the  day. 

*+*T/ie  set  of  three  volumes  of  Hodge's  Systematic  Theology ',  in  cloth  binding,  sent  to  any 
tdJi-es,  post  or  express  charges  paid,  upon  receipt  of  $12,  by  the  publishers, 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS,  PUBLISHERS, 

743  AND  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


OR, 

Analyses  of  Discourses,  Doctrinal  and  Practical,  Delivered  on  Sabbath 

Afternoons  to  the  Students  of  the  Theological  Seminary, 

Princeton,  N.  J., 

By   CHARLES     HODGE,    D.D. 

One  vol.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  OO. 


It  has  always  been  the  practice  at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  for  professors  and  students 
lo  meet  of  Sunday  afternoons  in  conference,  for  the  discussion  of  themes  relating  to  practical  Christian 
life  and  teaching.  The  late  Dr.  Hodge  throughout  his  long  period  of  service  in  the  seminary  gave 
very  careful  attention  to  this  part  of  the  work,  writing  out  in  full  an  analysis  or  skeleton  of  each 
of  the  discourses  which  he  delivered  at  these  conferences.  Although  designed  to  meet  no  eye  but  hts 
own,  these  preparatory  analyses  were  as  completely  prepared  as  if  they  had  been  intended  for  public*;' 
tion.  A  considerable  number  nave  been  gathered  together,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  resulting; 
volume  will  be  widely  useful  among  clergymen  of  all  denominations  as  exhibiting  remarkable  examples 
of  that  analysis,  that  logical  grouping  and  perspicuous  exhibition  of  truth  which  is  an  essential  facultjH 
of  the  effective  preacher,  and  as  presenting  in  an  analytic  form  an  amount  and  quality  of  homiletical 
example  and  suggestion  probably  not  surpassed  in  the  same  number  of  pages  in  the  English  language.  ; 

"  This  volume  cannot  fail  to  be  of  value  not  merely  to  ministers  of  the  gospel  of  all  denomina- 
tions, but  also  to  multitudes  of  thoughtful  and  earnest  Christians  who  love  sound  doctrine,  distinct 
explanations  of  the  teachings  of  God's  word,  and  the  recitals  of  prolonged  and  rich  spiritual 
experience. " — Presbyterian. 

"  We  can  only  say  of  this  work  that  our  admiration  of  it  and  our  sense  of  its  value  are  greatly 
increased  every  time  we  look  upon  its  pages.  Here  we  have  the  results  of  the  most  varied  and 
profound  learning,  as  they  passed  through  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  one  of  the  highest  intellects 
and  most  devout  hearts  given  to  the  service  of  the  church  in  these  latter  days,  concerning  the  great 
themes  of  Gocl  and  his  salvation,  and  the  application  of  truth  to  the  saving  of  the  soul.  From  thia 
rich  storehouse  the  theologian  and  the  Christian  will  draw  large  supplies." — Presbyterian  Banner.  \ 

"  The  book  is  one  which  theological  students  and  ministers  will  find  rarely  suggestive  and 
helpful,  and  which,  to  the  ordinary  lay  student  of  the  Scriptures,  will  bring  many  fresh  revelations  of 
their  scope  and  significance." — Boston  Journal. 

"  It  needs  but  a  superficial  examination  to  show  that  the  author  was  a  man  of  strong  feeling,  of 
a  very  logical  order  of  mind  and  varied  attainments;  and  although  this  reliquary  from  his  labors  may 
be  esteemed  for  its  absolute  use,  it  will  reach  a  higher  estimation  if  it  is  studied  to  ascertain  the 
effective  processes  of  religious  tuition  and  the  cardinal  tenets  maintained  by  many  communionfl 
— Phil.  North  American. 

"These  valuable  discourses  are  condensed  and  packed  with  thought,  and  promise  profit  to  the 
student  in  that  they  not  only  furnish  very  valuable  matter,  but  teach  him  how  to  arrange  it.'*; 
—  Christian  Advocate. 

"  Dr.  Hodge's  wonderful  mental  grasp  is  seen  in  the  exhaustive  analyses  which,  in  his  hands,  arej 
not  skeletons,  but  the  members  of  a  living  body  of  truth  .  .  .  The  light  of  holy,  heavenly 
sunshine  seems  to  fall  upon  the  pages,  revealing  to  us  this  one  great  fact — that  however  glorious  it  is 
to  be  a  great  theologian,  even  the  greatest,  there  is  a  higher  glory  in  being  one  whose  spiritual  nature 
b  permeated  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  volume  is  a  treasury  of  divine  truth." — Observer. 


*»*  The  above  book  for  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent,  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  price^  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS,  PUBLISHERS, 

743  AND  745  BROADWAY,  N-EW  YOUK. 


srnssons  n 


JPoIifg, 


FROM  THE  CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  THE   "PRINCETON  REVIEW." 

BY 

CHARLES     HODGE,     D.D. 

Selected  and  Arranged  by  the  REV.  WILLIAM  DURANT.     With  a  Preface  by 

ARCHIBALD  ALEXANDER  HODGE,  D.D. 

One   vol.,   8vo,  Cloth,   $3.  SO. 


From  1835  to  1867,  while  Editor  of  the  Princeton  Review,  Dr.  Hodge  contributed  many  papers 
of  permanent  value  on  the  general  principles  of  Ecclesiology  and  the  practical  government,  discipline 
and  worship  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  range  of  subjects  discussed  by  Dr.  Hodge  was  so  wide, 
and  so  uniformly  did  he  give  special  attention  to  the  fundamental  principles  involved,  that  the 
selections  brought  together  and  arranged  in  topical  order  in  this  volume  form  a  full  commentary  on 
the  theoretical  and  practical  law  of  the  Church. 

"The  series  of  papers  gathered  together  in  this  volume  form  a  mine  of  information  ar><! 
reasoning,  such  as  every  Presbyterian  interested  in  the  polity  of  his  denomination  ought  to  explore. 
Clear  and  vigorous  in  statement,  acute  and  profound  in  logic,  and  judicial  in  spirit,  they  might  serve 
as  models  for  a  judge  in  charging  the  jury  or  in  rendering  decisions." — Watchman. 

"  We  do  not  hesitate  to  pronounce  this  quite  the  most  valuable  contribution  to  Ecclesiology 

wrich  has  appeared  in  this  country We  are  sure  that  all  whose  libraries  contain  L)r. 

Hodge's  'Systematic  Theology'  will  wish  to  place  this  volume  by  its  side." — Presbyterian. 

"  On  account  of  the  wide  range  of  subjects  and  the  thorough  analysis  embraced  in  these  dis- 
cussions, it  is  of  great  interest  to  the  clergy  of  all  denominations." — Lutheran. 

"  We  think  that  there  is  scarcely  a  question  in  Church  polity  of  general  practical  interest  that  is 
not  treated  in  these  pages.  History  repeats  itself  nowhere  more  unfailingly  than  in  the  discussions 
and  decisions  of  ecclesiastical  courts  and  councils.  Dr.  Hodge  was  no  less  remarkable  in  his  eluci- 
dation of  questions  involving  points  of  form  and  practice  than  in  those  involving  points  of  doctrine 
and  faith.  In  questions  that  involved  all  of  these  things,  he  was  the  clearest  of  thinkers  and  ablest  of 
guides.  In  the  absence  of  any  connected  treatise  on  Ecclesiology  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Hodge, 
this  volume  will  be  widely  and  warmly  welcomed  as  a  valuable  supplement  to  his  noble  work  on 
Systematic  Theology.1' — Observer. 

"  The  preliminary  principles,  as  set  forth  in  the  first  ten  chapters,  are  a  master-piece  of  Biblical 
research  and  consecutive  reasoning.  .  .  It  is  a  legacy  to  all  Christian  people." — Methodist  Protestant. 

"  Dr.  Hodge  was  a  clear  and  forcible  writer,  always  knowing  what  he  wanted  to  say,  and 
scarcely  ever  failing  to  say  precisely  what  he  meant.  By  consequence,  his  discussions,  sweeping  so 
largely  over  so  broad  a  field,  must  have  great  value." — Congregationalist. 

"  We  are  struck  by  the  judicious  calmness  and  fairness  in  which  he  puts  forth  his  broad  and  deep 
views,  and  the  absence  of  all  personalities  and  sectarian  zeal  even  when  he  opposes  persons  and 
politics  contradictory  to  his  views.  He  is  dignified  and  statesmanlike,  as  well  as  catholic  and  Christ- 
like,  in  all." — Vermont  Chronicle. 


*„*  'Iftt  above  book  for  sale  by  all  booksellers^  or  will  be  xent,  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNKR'S  SONS,  PUBLISHERS, 

743  AND  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK 


A    NEW    BOOK    BY    PROF.   FISHER 


JSpginnings  of  (Hjrisfianif  g : 

With  a  View  of  the  State  of  the  Roman  World  at  the  Birth  of  Christ 
BY  GEORGE   P.  FISHER,  D.D., 

Professor  of  Ecclesiastical   History    in    Yale   College  ;     Author  of    "  Essays   on   the    Supernatural   Origin  of 
Christianity,"     "The    Reformation,"    etc. 


One  volume  8vo.     Cloth, 


$3-00. 


OPINIONS    OF 

"  Prof.  Fisher's  new  volume.  The  Beginnings  of 
Christianity,  is  a  portly  octavo,  in  every  sense  a  work, 
and  in  every  aspect  an  important  one.  The  readers  of 
his  history  of  '  The  Reformation,'  and  of  his  treatise  on 
the  Supernatural  Origin  of  Christianity,  will  welcome  it 
with  peculiar  pleasure  as  a  fresh  fruit  of  his  mature 
scholarship  and  catholic  temper,  and  the  public  at  large 
will  recognize  in  it  a  contribution  of  more  than  ordinary 
value  to  the  shelves  of  Christian  letters." — Congre- 
gationalist 

"The  author  has  brought  to  the  treatment  of  his 
subject  extensive  and  accurate  learning,  careful  and 
candid  investigation,  a  logical  method  and  a  lucid 
style.  Tne  volume  contains  an  amount  of  information 
that  makes  it  one  of  the  most  useful  of  treatises  for  a 
Student  in  philosophy  and  theology,  and  must  secure 
for  ii  a  place  in  his  library  as  a  standard  authority. 

.  .  V/e  have  to  thank  Dr.  Fisher  for  a  work  of 
solid  and  permanent  value." — Kvangelist. 

"The  book  is  a  thoroughly  good  one,  and  cannot 
fail  of  being  well-received  by  Christian  scholars."  — 
Zion  Herald. 

"  It  is  pleasant  to  commend  a  book  that  so  eminently 
deserves  it,  though  nothing  less  than  a  thorough 
familiarity  with  its  contents  will  give  a  full  appreciation 
of  its  merits  " — Providence  Journal* 

"  The  literature  of  the  work  is  graceful  as  well  as 
scholarly,  and  its  effect  must  be  to  broaden  and  enrich 
tny  mind  that  tastes  of  its  wealth." — Boston  Post. 


THE     PRESS. 

"It  is  an  abje  woik,  and  one  which  not  only  revnfs- 
ters,  but  intelligent  laymen  as  well,  may  read  with 
interest  and  edification." — Pittsburgh.  United  Pres- 
byterian. 

"The  author  has  the  faculty  of  presenting  his 
thoughts  in  a  style  of  great  clearness,  and  what  he  has 
here  written  constitutes  a  valuable  addition  to  the 
Christian  literature  of  our  language."  —  Religious 
Herald. 

"  We  heartily  commend  this  interesting  and  instruc- 
tive volume." — The  American  Church  Review, 

"This  volume  is  not  a  dry  repetition  of  well  known 
facts.  It  bears  marks  of  original  research.  Every  pag«r 
glows  with  freshness  of  material  and  choiceness  of 
diction." — Examiner  and  Chronicle. 

"The  whole  forms  a  valuable  contribution  to  the 
religious  history  of  the  time." — The  Library  Tablt. 

"The  author  is  so  well  known  that  the  extent  of  his 
erudition  and  the  trustworthiness  of  his  judgment  need 
no  guaranty  beyond  that  of  his  name.  .  .  .  This 
last  volume  (The  Beginnings  of  Christianity)  i* 
the  fruit  ot  a  wider  range  of  reading  than  either  of  his 
previous  ventures,  and  the  breadth  of  the  vivwa 
advanced  is  no  more  conspicuous  than  their  fairness 
and  moderation." — The  Neti 


tiv  Knglamier. 


BY    THE    SAME    AUTHOR, 

SUPERNATURAL    ORIGIN     OF     CHRISTIANITY, 

With  Special  Reference  to  the  Theories  of  Renan^  Strauss,  and  the  Tubingen  School. 

New  and  greatly  enlarged  edition.     One  vol.  8vo,  cloth,  $3.00. 


THE    REFORMATION. 

One  volume  8vo.     Cloth,  $3.00. 

This  work  deserves  to  be  mentioned  with  praise  as  a  performance  in  its  kind  of  peculiar 
CKcellence.  It  is  a  summary  view  of  the  history  of  the  age  of  the  Reformation. 

The  talent  of  the  author,  who  has  known  how  to  treat  all  this  in  a  clear  style  and  within 
the  compass  of  six  hundred  pages,  will  be  valued  all  the  more  when  it  is  observed  how  high  the 
character  of  his  work  rises  above  that  of  a  mere  compilation.  He  has  in  a  very  singular  degree 
used  the  most  extensive  materials,  and  the  expert  will  very  soon  observe  that  he  has  not  shunned 
the  labor  of  going  back  to  the  original  sources. 

%*  The  above  books  for  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  "Mill  be  sent,  post  or  express  charges  paid% 
upon  receipt  of  the  price  by  the  publishers, 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS, 

743  AND  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK, 


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